Hello, Midnight
by complete-randomalities
Summary: Manfred and Gretel Bernardo - siblings and Psychics, each with secrets of their own - end up in Midnight, Texas where they find themselves caught up in a murder investigation and so much more that not even they could have ever foreseen. (This fic is for the Midnight, Texas TV Adaptation)
1. Manfred & Gretel

Gretel brushed her teeth as she walked through the penthouse room in the fancy pants Dallas hotel. She found her brother, Manfred, looking out at the view of the city. She poked her brother's bare back above the healed-up bullet wound before asking him with a mouthful of toothpaste, "How long until the next client?"

Manfred jerked a bit from her touch before answering. "She should be here soon."

Gretel went back to the bathroom for a rinse and spit before rejoining her brother who was pulling on his shirt. "Are you at least going to let me take lead this time?"

"They come to see me, not you," he countered, buttoning up his black dress shirt.

"Well that could change if you _actually_ let me be a real part of this." Gretel crossed her arms a bit in annoyance.

"Can you fault me for wanting you to have a normal life?" Manfred kissed his younger sister's head and went to get things ready for the client.

Gretel wished that her brother saw her for the adult that she was. She wasn't a child anymore and hadn't been for a long time. They were the same in what they were but Manfred would never let her do anything with it. "Normal is but an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly," she pointed out as she followed him into the other room.

Manfred chuckled at her, "Whatever you say, Morticia."

Gretel rolled her eyes at that. "My point is, it's all a matter of perception. This…what we do – who we _are_ – **that** is normal for me. Trying to make me into something else isn't going to work so you might as well get used to it." As she walked off to change her outfit for the client she said, "You act like I've never even been possessed before."

Manfred sighed heavily and went back to what he was doing. It wasn't long after that there was a knock at the door. Manfred rushed out to beat his sister there, but she answered the door before he could.

"Hello, Rachel, lovely to see you again. My, you are ravishing and looking younger every day." Gretel was really laying it on thick and Rachel ate up every bit of it.

Rachel laughed and primped her new pixie-cut hair. "Oh, Gretel, you are always such a sweet-talker. I love it." She giggled like a child – despite being well past middle-age – and walked into the penthouse where she saw Manfred standing off to the side there. "Manfred, there you are." She took his hands in hers and squeezed them. "I am so looking forward to this."

Manfred took Rachel's coat as he said, "I'm sorry, I should have told you on the phone when we set up the appointment – my fee has gone up."

Rachel wasn't bothered by this at all. "Well, after all this time, you should know that you're worth every penny. Your sister, too, if you'd ever give her the chance."

"See," Gretel said smugly and linked her arm with Rachel's, "I always knew I liked you." They both got a laugh out of that as they walked into the other room together.

Manfred rolled his eyes and followed them.

Gretel lit the candles on the table as Manfred and Rachel took their seats. Not about to miss being a part of this, she sat on the edge of the bed behind her brother.

"Ready?" Manfred asked and when Rachel nodded, he clasped his hands together over the wedding band Rachel provided and closed his eyes. "I want to see you…Show yourself…Harold, make yourself known. Rachel's here, she wants to talk to you." Manfred opened his eyes and looked at the ring in hand before looking to Rachel, "He's here."

Manfred was about to speak but Gretel beat him to it when she chuckled and said, "He wants you to know he thinks the new haircut is very sexy." Manfred turned around and glared at her in a way to tell her to shut up, which received a signature eyeroll in reply.

Rachel missed this exchange because she was laughing at what she was told. "Thirty-two years we're married. Now that you're dead, you like it short."

"Harold says he was stupid," Manfred replied. "He hated change."

Rachel sighed wistfully. "Oh, Harold. Not a day goes by that I don't miss you something awful."

Manfred shook his head. "He doesn't want you to grieve him forever. He wants you to be happy."

Rachel took in a breath of courage. "I – I need to tell you something. I'm seeing someone."

The flames flickered as soon as she said that and Gretel was getting a bad feeling about this. "Manfred…"

He ignored his sister's warning. "He's listening. Go on."

"We're taking it slow, but…" she smiled, "I'm happy."

Manfred paused a moment before informing her what Harold had said. "He wants to know who it is."

Gretel shot up from her seat and moved to the table. "Rachel, don't answer that."

The flames flickered even more so than the first time.

"Don't interfere, Gretel," Manfred warned. He knew that she was going to get too emotionally attached. That's partly why he never wanted her to be a part of this.

Rachel, needing Harold to know, said quickly, "It's Kevin."

The flames blew out completely as soon as she said that and ghostly whispers filled the room while the temperature dropped. Manfred realized he should have listened to his sister in that moment. "Perhaps we should take a break."

"Or stop all together," Gretel firmly suggested and in that moment the glass from the mirror in the corner of the room shattered and a foggy form started to take shape that only Manfred and Gretel could see.

Harold's ghost appeared – pasty white with foggy eyes, hotel gown and a cracked open chest from surgery. He growled at the siblings as he took a step forward.

Manfred, now on his feet, stepped protectively in front of his sister with his hand held out. "No. You are not to cross."

Rachel didn't understand what was happening because she couldn't see. "What's wrong?"

"Stay back," Manfred said firmly. "Stay back!" But Harold's ghost was far too angry to listen and lunged forward in is foggy form to take possession.

Gretel wasn't about to let her brother get used like this so she quickly stepped in front of Manfred before Harold could reach him.

"No!" Manfred exclaimed, not believing that his sister had just done that.

Gretel gasped as gagged as Harold's ghost entered her body through her mouth and eyes. She gulped and panted, trying to keep Harold at bay, but her eyes turned white and her head cocked to the side as Harold took over. With a dark and distorted voice, Harold spoke using her. "My partner? My friend? You had to go there?!" He picked up the wedding band from the table and threw it at her.

Manfred grabbed hold of Gretel's arms and demanded, "Harold, you let my sister go! Now!"

Harold answered this by using Gretel's body to grab hold of Manfred and throw him hard across the room. He now turned his attention to Rachel. Harold flipped the table over and charged towards her. "Since when! Did you wait until I…"

"It's nothing like that!" Rachel fearfully exclaimed.

"What's it like then?" Harold shouted back, grabbing Rachel by the hair, "Does he like your hair like that!"

Gretel's voice broke through as she started getting back control, "Get the hell out of my body, Harold!"

Harold took over once more and grabbed hold of Rachel who tried to run away. He then reached out for a piece of glass and held it out to her. "Well, we can be together again. You can be with me."

"No!" Rachel whimpered in fear. "Please, Harold, no!"

Manfred grabbed a piece of glass of his own and wrapped his arms around Gretel, holding it to her throat. "My sister and I made a pact a long time ago, Harold. Whoever couldn't take control would be killed by the other before they hurt anyone innocent. I'd rather not lose my sister today."

"Ye of little faith," Gretel broke through before demanding, "Get out of me **now**!" She took complete control in that moment and forced Harold out of her. His smoky form shot out of her eyes and mouth before disappearing in the air. Once he was gone, she leaned back into her brother.

Manfred dropped the piece of glass and held onto his sister. "You're okay," he assured her, moving her dark locks away from her blue eyes – a feature they shared – and repeated, "You're okay."

When Gretel finally got her bearings back, she smiled at him, "Well of course I am. I'm not twelve anymore." She knew that he'd know what her words meant. After patting her brother's arm, she moved over to the closed window drapes and opened them.

"Well," Manfred sighed as he looked at the freaked-out Rachel, trying to make light of the situation, "I guess Harold still hates change."

* * *

When Rachel left, Manfred went over to Gretel who was laying back on the sofa there with her arm draped over her face. "Take this with this," he handed her over a pill and a bottle of vodka from the mini-bar. "Trust me."

Gretel willingly accepted and took them as directed. "Thanks."

"You're an idiot, you know that?" he asked, taking a seat on the edge of the cushion so he could use the keyed tablet on the coffee table.

"I hate seeing you possessed," Gretel replied, moving into more of a sitting position.

"It's not a walk in the park for me seeing you like that either, Gretel." Manfred turned to face her. "You almost died the last time you were unwillingly possessed."

"I was twelve when that happened. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm not twelve anymore," she reiterated.

"I know you're not but…" His response was cut short due to his phone buzzing.

Gretel looked over and saw that it was Hightower. "I can always give my tea party friends a call."

"Do _not_ call your tea party friends," Manfred emphasized before answering his phone.

"You can't run from me, Manfred," the voice on the line greeted.

"I'm not running," Manfred countered. "I'm paying you back. I just need time."

"Too late. I will find you."

Upon hearing that, Manfred said, "Gotta go," and hung up. He turned to his sister to say the same thing but she didn't give him a chance.

Gretel was already off the couch, getting her things together. "I got the gist," she answered, then muttered, "Never a dull moment."

* * *

"Goodbye Dallas!" Gretel called out with a kiss she threw to the city as Manfred drove their RV onto the interstate.

"Must you do that every time we leave somewhere?" Manfred asked, looking over to his sister in the passenger seat at the front of the RV.

"I give a kiss hello and a kiss goodbye," Gretel stated obviously. "It keeps me on good terms with the place."

Manfred shook his head with a chuckle and kept on driving. "You feeling better?"

"Is that your way of saying that I look like crap?" Gretel replied. "If so, I don't appreciate the insinuation." She reached into her bag and pulled out the little mirror and cringed, "Even though you are correct."

"That's what happens when you get possessed," Manfred pointed out to her.

"Never happened at the tea parties," Gretel countered.

Manfred shot a look at her before saying, "That's because your guests care about you. Millie and the others would never willingly cause you harm so they'd take it easy on you. Others…not so much."

Gretel rolled her eyes and turned to look out the window and the passing Texas scenery.

She managed to fall asleep for awhile only to be jolted awake when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Gretel laughed when she saw her grandmother's ghost standing there. "Hey, Grandma."

"You're in my seat," she replied teasingly, but sat down in the one behind Manfred. "Good god, Gretel, you look terrible."

"Look who's talking," Manfred chimed in, shooting his Grandma a quick, teasing look.

"Don't tell me," Grandma Xylda said to her granddaughter, " _You_ got hijacked?" She then turned her attention to Manfred, "She managed to step in front of you this time, eh?"

"That she did," Manfred replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

"It didn't last long, I ended it pretty quick." Okay, certainly not as quick as Gretel would have liked but far better than when she was twelve.

Xylda laughed at her. "I can tell. If you hadn't then Manfred would have killed you to keep that damned ghost from hurting anybody. Don't think I don't know about that stupid pact of yours." She sighed because of them. "How's your head, sweetie?"

"Manfred gave me a couple of pills, the headache's gone," she replied, not looking at her Grams.

Xylda looked at both her grandchildren. "This move will be good for you. Both of you. You need to settle down. You need a home."

"I need to disappear," Manfred retorted. "But you're right about Gretel. She needs to settle down."

Gretel smiled sweetly at her brother, "If you try to convince me that I need to meet a nice young man and make babies then I will take Grandma's peace-pipe and shove it up your ass."

"You will do no such thing," Xylda interjected, "the shit would ruin the flavor of the ganja forever."

Gretel and Manfred both burst out laughing because of that and it was much needed indeed – Something Xylda could tell, which was why she had said it.

Getting on a more serious note, Xylda placed her hand on Manfred's shoulder and reached out to take Gretel's hand. Once she had contact with them both, she said, "You will be safe in Midnight."

Gretel believed her and Manfred joked back with, "That would mean a whole lot more coming from someone who wasn't dead."

Gretel burst out laughing when he said that and Xylda laughed right along with her as Manfred grinned. He loved the way his sister laughed and wished that she would do it more often – wished that she had a reason to.

* * *

As Manfred drove into Midnight, Texas, Gretel kissed her hand and blew before saying, "Hello, Midnight." He shook his head at her little ritual and proceeded to drive into the town. If they didn't know any better, they'd swear it was abandoned. It certainly looked like a little ghost town.

There only seemed to be a handful of people as they drove towards the pawn shop where they were supposed to meet their new landlord, Bobo. Each person they passed, Gretel would swear had given them an evil eye.

Manfred looked at Gretel with a 'wtf' expression on her face because he was practically glued to the window. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for a tumbleweed," she partly joked and grinned at her brother.

Manfred rolled his eyes and pulled the RV on the side of the road to park it.

When Gretel's eyes went back to the window she caught sight of a tall guy with dark hair, a bit of scruff on his face, wearing all black walk down the street and disappear around a corner. She had only caught a glimpse of the guy but was already intrigued.

"You finally find that tumbleweed?" Manfred joked on his way to the door since she seemed to be staring at something.

"Yet to be determined," Gretel replied and followed him, only to stop quickly in her tracks because Manfred practically leaped back into the RV. "What the hell?"

"Some chick just almost ran her car into the door," Manfred explained then opened the door again – this time successfully getting out.

Gretel hopped out of the RV and walked with her brother towards the pawn shop. The woman in question got out of her Land Rover wearing a bright red wig and a case in her hand. "She's hot. But I already don't like her."

Manfred smirked at her and went to take a chance with the woman as Gretel went into the shop.

As soon as Gretel entered she could hear the whispers of the past. The elderly woman who owned the rocking chair complaining about how her children never come to see her, the little girl's voice screaming at her mother that she didn't want to die who owned the porcelain doll, even the soldiers from the antique weapons had voices screaming in her mind – just to name a few. "I hate pawn shops," she thought aloud and jumped when Manfred touched her arm.

"We don't have to be in here long," he quietly assured her. "I can hear them, too."

Thankfully the voices of the past ceased when one from the living joined them saying, "Hey. You must be Manfred and Gretel."

Gretel nodded, "Yeah, that's us."

The living voice, Bobo, cocked his head for them to follow him. "Come on. I'll show you the place." As he led them from the shop, he said, "You made good time coming from Dallas."

"No traffic the last five hours," Manfred replied.

Bobo chuckled lightly, "No. No there isn't." He stopped in front of a small shabby-looking house between two of the buildings on the main street. After giving them a second to look at it, he said, "Come on. I'll show you your new home."

"It's the RV in house form," Gretel joked as she and Manfred followed Bobo into the house.

Once inside, Bobo told them a bit about the place. "The last tenant left the furniture. If particle board bothers either of you, you're welcome to come by the shop."

"That's fine," Manfred answered for them as he looked around. "We like newer things." No voices were attached to newer things, something he and his sister both appreciated.

Bobo found amusement in that. "The RV parked out front says otherwise." At the looks on their faces from that, he added in, "I gotta come clean. I checked you guys out before renting the house."

Gretel gave Manfred a bit of a look before he answered, "I hope it's not a problem."

"That you're psychics?" Bobo made a 'pfft' sound because he didn't care. "No, just the opposite. I was actually gonna offer you a month's free rent if you could help me out."

Gretel was going to say something but Manfred placed the back of his hand on her arm to keep her from saying anything.

Bobo saw this but kept going anyway. "My fiancée, well…Aubrey, she – she walked out. And she's not returning my calls…"

Manfred cut Bobo off before he could say anything more. "I'm gonna stop you there. It's – it's not real. We tell people what they want to hear. My sister and I are really good at reading people. That's all it is."

Bobo accepted that answer. "Well, no harm in asking." He handed the keys over to Manfred. "You two got the place for a month. If you need it any longer…"

Manfred picked up from there, "We know where to find you."

"Thanks," Gretel said with a smile and Bobo simply answered with, "Mmhmm," and looked them over before taking his leave.

As soon as Bobo was out the door, Gretel backhanded Manfred's arm. "I could have _easily_ done a reading for him."

"And draw attention to us?" he scoffed, "Not happening. We're here to keep a low profile, Gretel, not to shine a big spotlight on us." Manfred went into the kitchen and found a plate of cookies from their neighbor Fiji. He took a bite out of one and handed the plate out to his sister.

"Mystery cookies from a neighbor we haven't met yet? I'll pass." Gretel took the plate from her brother and set them on the far side of the counter since there wasn't a trash bin nearby. "For all we know, they could be roofied or something."

Manfred responded to that by pulling the plate closer to him and took another cookie before walking off with a smug look on his face.

"Don't come crying to me when you're dead!" she called after him and went out to get some of her things from the RV.

* * *

It was dark out while Gretel was sitting on the roof of the RV with a flashlight between her teeth shining down on the sketchbook in front of her. She was sketching the guy she had caught a glimpse of earlier but since she didn't get a good look of his face, it wasn't a very good one.

When Gretel heard someone tap the side of the RV, she shined the light to the source and found Manfred standing there.

"Trying to blind me with that?" Manfred asked, using his hand to block the light.

"Sorry," she replied and turned it off. "What's up?"

"Let's get something to eat. Come on," He waited for Gretel to climb down the ladder at the back of the old RV and led the way to the only restaurant in town.

When they entered the restaurant it seemed like a normal enough place at least from Gretel's experience of road-side cafes go. She knew this place didn't go under that category but it's the first thing she thought of.

Manfred led the way to the counter and spoke to the waitress who had their back turned to them. "We'd like to place an order to go."

The waitress turned around and smiled. "You must be Manfred and Gretel. Bobo said he had new tenants. I saw your RV. Nice ride."

"I know," Manfred joked, "a real chick magnet."

"I don't think your girlfriend – wife? – would appreciate comments like that," she replied, looking at Gretel.

Manfred and Gretel looked at each other like they were grossed out before trying to contain their laughter. It was Gretel who explained. "None of the above. I'm his sister."

The waitress was mighty embarrassed with herself then. "Oh, wow, I'm sorry. I just assumed."

"Assumptions can bite you in the ass sometimes," Gretel sweetly informed her, "so it's best not to make them."

"Be nice, Gretel," Manfred pleaded of his sister because he knew how she could get.

To change the subject, the waitress introduced herself. "I'm Creek. I live behind the Gas & Go with my father and little brother, Connor. Now, if you'll follow me."

"Where?" Manfred asked curiously.

"The Midnighter's Room," Creek replied. "It's where we sit. Except the Rev – he eats alone. Now that you two live here, you eat with us." She led the way, picking up some things as she went.

"If the locals eat there then who are the rest of them?" Gretel asked, gesturing behind her.

"The rest of the folks are ranchers, folks from Davy." She continued to lead them into the back room.

"We don't want to be a bother," Manfred said as he followed.

"You're not," Creek assured as she showed them the practically empty room. "It's usually more crowded, but folks are getting ready for tomorrow. It's the annual fall picnic. You should come." When she realized she was speaking directly to Manfred, she made sure to add in, "Both of you."

"If you'll be there," he replied with a grin.

Creek smiled. "Have you met your neighbors yet?"

"Sort of," Manfred answered, looking at the blonde. "You're the non-musician."

"That's Olivia," the man at the table informed them and turned around to reveal his purple eyes. "Lemuel Bridger."

"Badass," Gretel said as she moved closer to get a better look at his eyes, missing the conversation Manfred was having with Creek. "I like you already."

"Just not too much," Olivia warned.

Gretel was about to say something about that but the 'tumbleweed' from earlier walked into the room. He was far more attractive than she had initially thought and had to look away to keep herself from staring.

Olivia caught the look and grinned in amusement. "Have you met Marcus yet? Marcus, these are our new neighbors – Manfred and Gretel."

Marcus just nodded at them in greeting before taking a seat.

Gretel sat down as well with Manfred following suite as he said, "We can leave if we're interrupting."

"You're not," Olivia replied and left the table, sliding her hand across Lemuel's shoulders as she went.

As Lemuel got up to sit closer to Manfred, Marcus asked, "Do you always speak for her?"

"Excuse me?" Manfred asked, wondering what this guy's problem was.

"You said 'we' many times. Makes me wonder if you ever let her speak for herself," Marcus replied, leaning back and taking a drink from his beer on the table.

"That's enough, Marcus," Lemuel warned before turning to the siblings. "You'll have to forgive Marcus. He likes to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong but he is the best mechanic you will find in the entire county."

Marcus raised his beer in cheers to that and grinned a bit when he caught a glimpse of a smile on Gretel's face.

"I live under the pawn shop," Lemuel continued, "work the night shift." He was about to say more but he caught sight of a possible problem in the dining area. "Apologies."

"For what?" Manfred asked and was answered by Lemuel pressing him onto the table and draining his energy.

"Oh hell no," Gretel shot at him and was about to do something about this but was held back by Marcus.

"He knows what he's doing," Marcus assured her but that didn't stop Gretel from cracking her head back into his face though it did little to deter him. "Ouch," was all he had to say about that before letting her go once Lemuel was done.

Gretel ignored Marcus' lack of reaction and rushed to her brother. "What the hell did you do to him?" she seethed at Lemuel.

"It's been awhile since I've eaten," Lemuel explained. "I'm weak and I was worried. They looked like they could be trouble, so I leeched energy."

"Are you a freaking vampire or something?" Gretel asked before looking her brother over to make sure he was okay.

"That's one word for it," Lemuel replied.

"Sit down, Gretel. I'm okay." Manfred felt weak as hell but other than that, alright.

As Gretel returned to her seat, she looked over at Marcus sitting in his. "And what does that make you?"

"A mystery," he answered with another one of his grins.

Manfred was starting to catch up on what was being discussed. "Wait, did you say vampire? What the hell?"

"I'm starting to take offense," Lemuel replied, his eyes out to the dining area where a group of leather jacket wearing men sat. "Frankly, I'm less frightening than those Sons of Lucifer." He picked up a drink from the table and handed it to Manfred, "Here. You'll feel better."

Manfred drank as much as he could in one gulp and found that he was right.

Lemuel knew this and almost looked smug because of it. "Told you."

Manfred chuckle once he had the strength, "Usually Gretel and I are the freaks in the room."

"Speak for yourself," Gretel replied then got to her feet. "I'm gonna step out real quick."

"Really?" Manfred asked as she left the table. "You still haven't kicked that habit?"

" _So_ close, I swear," Gretel grinned, walking backwards, and headed outside.

Gretel walked around the building and leaned against the wall as she put a cigarette in her mouth. She was looking for her lighter but stopped when someone seemed to be holding out a flame for her. "Thanks," she said to whoever it was before lighting it and then she realized that they were holding the flame… _literally_.

Gretel's eyes widened when she saw the flame sitting in the palm of the hand and her eyes moved up to their face to see that it was Marcus, grinning yet again. "Told you I was a mystery. Clearly I'm not the only one." He closed his hand with a "Goodnight, Gretel," and went on his way.

Gretel was so stunned by this that she didn't even take a hit from her cigarette. In fact, she dropped it to the ground, stepped on it to make sure it was out, and went back to the Midnighter's Room for supper.

* * *

"I can't believe I let you talk me into going to this stupid picnic just because you have the hots for Creek," Gretel complained the following day as she laced up her black and white tennis shoes. Her attire that day was far from her more 'gothic' looks consisting of a pair of jean shorts and a black and red tank top. She had her black hair tied back into a ponytail even though she hated it like that.

"Fresh air will do you good," Manfred replied as he walked into the living room and had to do a double-take to make sure he was looking at his sister. "Who are you and what have you done with my fishnet wearing, black lipsticked, leather clad sister?"

"Ha. Ha. Ha," she sarcastically replied, getting to her feet since she was sitting on the coffee table.

As Gretel grabbed her bag, he asked, "Did that Marcus guy say anything to you last night? He left soon after you went out for a smoke."

"He said goodnight," Gretel answered, putting her black and blue tie-dyed bag across her shoulder. "Don't get all overprotective brother on me, now."

Manfred sighed as he put on his sunglasses. "I just don't have a good feeling about the guy."

"Freddie, I love you, but I'm a big girl who can take care of herself." She patted Manfred's chest and went outside to wait for Creek.

"You're also impulsive," Manfred thought aloud, "annoying, at times immature, and…" He stopped talking as soon as he heard Gretel's voice coming from the porch saying, "I can hear you!"

Manfred threw up his hands with an exasperated sigh. "Of course you can." He heard a car pull up then so he went outside to head off to the picnic.

* * *

Marcus was helping Bobo on the grill when he caught sight of Gretel arriving with Manfred, Creek, and Connor out of the corner of his eye. As soon as he turned his head to look at Gretel, the flames of the grill shot up making him and Bobo instantly jump back.

"Whoa," Bobo laughed nervously. "Probably used too much lighter fluid or something."

"Or something," Marcus replied. "You got this?"

Bobo looked over at Gretel then turned back to Marcus. "Like the new girl, eh?"

"Something like that," was all Marcus said before walking towards her.

"Still can't believe you talked me into this," Gretel sighed as she pulled her sunglasses off the top of her head and put them on.

Creek saw Marcus heading towards them and smiled at her, "Maybe it won't be too bad after all."

Manfred looked over to the approaching Marcus as he said, "Don't give her any ideas."

"Marcus is a good guy," Creek defended. "He's a bit odd, but who isn't?"

"All the best people are odd." Gretel smiled at Marcus when he finally reached them. "Afternoon, stranger."

Marcus cocked his head to the side a little. "Would you like to go for a walk, Gretel?"

"Sure," she answered then turned to her brother to tease, "Don't worry, I'll stay where you can see me."

Manfred was completely serious when he answered with, "Yeah, you better."

As Gretel walked off with Marcus she gave her brother a thumbs-up then turned her attention to her walking companion. "So, magic-man, care to tell me the secret of that parlor trick last night?"

"Mysteries are harder to solve than that," he replied with a half smirk upon his face. Marcus wasn't going to make it that easy for her.

"Playing hard to get, I like it," Gretel answered lightly, returning her sunglasses to the top of her head.

Marcus didn't look at her as he answered with, "Figured as much."

"If I'm that easy to read then I'm doing something wrong," she replied, meaning every word of it.

Marcus was about to answer that but realized that Gretel had stopped walking and looked very pale. "You alright?"

"Something's wrong," Gretel replied and a moment later Fiji started screaming from the riverbank. Gretel and Marcus took off running towards the screams where the crowd had gathered. Upon seeing the woman's body washed up from the river, Gretel took in a sharp breath when she saw the girl's head turn to look at her.

Manfred went right to his sister and pulled her away from Marcus, knowing what was going to happen to her next. "Breathe, Gretel. Fight it."

Gretel tried to do what her brother asked of her, but she couldn't. She darted from the group and once she was far enough away out of sight, she started throwing up water. The water gushed out of her and it seemed never-ending.

Manfred held onto Gretel to steady her as he repeated, "Fight it, Gretel."

She was trying, she really was, but the water just kept coming.

Manfred saw Marcus coming towards them and he held a firm hand out to stop him. "Stay back."

Marcus ignored the warning and went right to Gretel. "Let her go," he said to Manfred. "Do it. I can help her."

Manfred wasn't sure how much longer Gretel would last because the water kept coming so he removed his hand and hoped he was making the right choice.

Marcus placed his hands on Gretel's back and a moment later, all at once, water fell from Gretel's entire body and fell to the ground. Once this was done, a weak and soaked Gretel leaned into Marcus as she coughed and gagged to catch her breath.

Manfred went straight to his sister then and scooped her up in his arms. "Thanks," he said to Marcus – who didn't try to keep him from taking Gretel – then carried her to the truck with the intention of taking her home.

"Why doesn't that ever happen to you?" Gretel weakly asked as she leaned into her brother.

Manfred answered honestly. "I don't know." He had no idea why every time Gretel saw a dead body their cause of death, in a way, projected into her. Manfred himself had never experienced that but it happened to Gretel every time.

He changed the subject as he put Gretel into the truck. "The cops will be coming soon. Stay here and if anyone happens to ask, you fell in the river."

"Feels like I almost drowned in it," Gretel made it sound like she was joking but it was far from it.

"I bet." He gave his sister a kiss on the forehead before going back to the group.

On the way there, Marcus approached him. "She alright?"

Manfred stopped to answer that. "Yeah, she'll be fine. Look, I don't know how you did that but thank you."

"We all have our oddities," was all Marcus had to say about that before going on his way.

* * *

That night, Manfred was worried about Gretel so he pulled the recliner into her room and slept there. He hadn't felt the need to do that in a long time and Gretel, she hadn't wanted him to for just as long. Neither of them acknowledged this and just settled down for the night.

It was pretty late when the temperature in the room grew cold – grew _unnaturally_ cold. Because of this, Gretel rolled over and woke up to the sight of the dead girl – who Gretel was told was Bobo's fiancée Aubrey – lying beside her with water gurgling from her mouth.

Gretel jumped out of bed with a gasp and almost ran into Manfred who had woken up from the cold as well. The cold wasn't all that Aubrey's ghost had brought with her for the floor was covered with water as well.

Manfred stood protectively in front of Gretel as he said, "Aubrey, you don't belong here." When she moved closer he held up his hands to block her and made it clear, "We don't give you permission. Go away!" Aubrey still moved closer so he grabbed onto Gretel's hand and they pair darted across the bed to the other side of the room to get away from her.

Aubrey's decayed and bloated ghost moved to the frosted windows and wrote the word 'Help'.

"Okay," Gretel answered, finding that she wanted to help her.

Manfred didn't like this idea. "Gretel…"

"I'm going to help her with or without you." Gretel took a firm stance this time.

Manfred saw the seriousness in his sister's eyes and caved. "Fine," he turned to Aubrey. "If it means that you'll go away, but **my** way. Precautions in place." Manfred looked at Gretel, "Alright?"

"Alright," she answered and left the bedroom with him to get started.

* * *

Gretel walked out of the RV now dressed in all black – black jeans, knee high boots, a vintage tee, and a black denim jacket in her hands. She didn't bother with her hair so it was a frazzled mess hanging down her shoulders.

"Who's getting the holy water?" Gretel asked as she pulled on her jacket.

"I think you've had enough water for awhile," Manfred lightly replied, "I'll get it."

"What am I to do then?" Gretel wasn't too keen on just sitting by and doing nothing.

Manfred could easily tell that's what she was thinking. "I know you hate this, but just wait here. I won't be too long and then we'll both take part in helping her." He didn't give her a chance to argue about it and headed down the street towards the church.

Gretel didn't seem to have much choice in the matter. Yeah, she could have followed him to the church but that'd might draw attention so she just went back into the RV to get her bag and then climbed up the ladder at the back to get to the roof. She'd be fine waiting there until Manfred returned.

Gretel was sketching away again when she felt like she was being watched. She raised her eyes to see if anyone was there but couldn't see anyone. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling. It wasn't until Gretel looked up across the street that she saw Marcus standing on the roof of the building with what looked like a cup of coffee in his hand, looking down at her.

Marcus raised the mug in greeting before taking a drink and turning around, walking away out of sight.

Gretel was reminded of a conversation she had with her grandmother when she was younger in that moment:

 _Xylda was reading Gretel's tarot and gushed, "When you need them the most, you will meet a tall, dark stranger who will need and mean as much to you as you need and mean to them."_

 _Gretel laughed at that. "That's what you always say when you're putting on a show."_

 _Xylda couldn't argue with her there, "True." She then leaned across the table and took Gretel's hands in hers. "But in your case, child, it's true."_

Gretel was pulled from her memory when she heard a tapping on the side of the RV. She looked down to see her brother standing there with a flask of Holy Water in his hands.

"You ready to do this?" Manfred asked, all the while wondering what she was just thinking about.

Gretel nodded and climbed down the ladder with her bag. "Let's boogie."

The siblings walked into the house and decided to set up in the spare room that, luckily for them, was empty of furniture. While Manfred set up the protective circle around them, Gretel opened up the box containing their family's Spirit Board. "I haven't used this in a long time."

"You remember how?" Manfred wasn't trying to be condescending or anything, he just wanted to make sure that she was prepared.

"I could never forget," Gretel replied, placing her hand on the pointer as he sat down beside her within the protective circle with a pen and paper in his hands. "Let's do this, shall we?" Gretel took a deep breath and said, "Aubrey…show yourself." She then turned to her brother, "That sounded lame."

Manfred scoffed a chuckle at that before saying to get Aubrey's attention, "Don't be coy."

Aubrey's ghost fogged into the room with the sound of bubbling water accompanying her. She reached out to them as she approached, needing to contact them.

"Stay on that side, Aubrey," Gretel said to her clearly. "I don't like asking twice."

Aubrey sat down on her side of the barrier in front of them.

"What is it that you need to tell us?" Manfred asked and Aubrey answered by holding her hand out and moving it to move Gretel's hands on the board.

"Whoa, slower," Gretel exclaimed because Aubrey was moving her hand so fast that she couldn't even see what letters they landed on.

Aubrey listened and started moving more slowly to spell out the message.

Gretel let out a breath, "There we go," and read off the letter. "P. E. C. A. D. O. S."

Manfred wrote that down and voiced, "Pecados?"

Aubrey nodded as water gurgled from her mouth when she tried to speak. A moment later, another ghost appeared of a screaming woman, making Manfred ask, "A friend of yours?"

"I don't think we took enough precautions," Gretel pointed out when the room started to fill with various ghosts – each one appearing worse than the previous one.

Manfred slowly rose to his feet as he pulled Gretel up along with him. "No. You are not welcome here. We called for Aubrey, not the rest of you. You are not welcome in our…" He was cut off when a sinister growling came from beneath the floor followed by a red glow.

"This is our home!" Gretel shouted at them. "You have no right!"

She was answered by the glowing beneath the floorboards pushing them upwards to the ceiling and then out of their protective circle.

"I made a mistake!" one of the ghosts growled at them. "I don't want to die!" he lunged at them but they were out the door before he could possess either of them.

Manfred quickly wrapped a pendant around the doorknob to keep the ghosts locked in there…hopefully.

"That…that's never happened before. And what the hell was that thing under the floor!" Gretel wasn't freaking out exactly but she was a little shook.

"More intense than your usual tea party, huh?" Manfred joked, trying to ease the air about but the glowing from beneath the door and the sinister growls that accompanied pretty much nulled out any progress he made with it.

Gretel threw her hand out towards the door saying, "Ya think?" She pressed her hands together and rubbed them while walking to the window. "Ah, hell."

Manfred went to see why Gretel said that and saw one of the Sheriff's deputies making their way towards the house. "Damn it." He quickly grabbed his coat from the back of the chair and put it at the bottom of the door to block out the light and the flies that came with Aubrey.

"Grab your bag and go out the back," Manfred quickly asked of his sister. "It's better if I just deal with them."

Gretel wanted to put up a fight about that but there wasn't time so she just grumbled, grabbed her bag as requested, and quickly went out the back while Manfred was going to answer the front door.

Gretel knew not to question her brother's 'sixth sense' but sometimes she'd swear that he'd only claim it was that just to get her to do what he wanted. This thought was in her mind as she turned her corner to head into the alleyway and almost walked right into Marcus. "If this town wasn't so small I'd think you were stalking me," she joked in greeting.

"How are you feeling?" He hadn't seen her since the picnic and wanted to be sure she was alright.

"Fit as a fiddle. I'm not gonna question your mysterious way of helping me, but I am going to say thank you." An awkward silence fell between them in that moment. "So…thank you."

Marcus didn't answer that right off. Instead, he picked a nearby dead weed and held out to her. As he did this, the dead weed turned into a beautiful life rose in full bloom. Marcus answered her then, "You're welcome."

If Gretel didn't know any better she'd thought she was seeing things or this was some sleight of hand trick but she did know better and whatever mystery Marcus was…she wanted to solve it. Gretel reached out and took the rose from him with a smile upon her face. "If you're trying to charm your way into my pants, you're going to have to work harder than that."

Marcus grinned upon hearing that. "Challenge accepted." With that said, he started to back away. "Until next time." Another one of his grins graced his expression before he turned around and headed back the way he came.

Gretel put the flower in her bag and went the other direction, looking back from time to time until Marcus was out of sight. When the Deputy was gone she knew Manfred would call her so all she had to do was fill in the time until then.

* * *

Gretel was at the restaurant when Manfred called to tell her what had happened. To keep the Deputy from digging up their secret he told her about Pecados and how that was a waterway where a gun was found. Presently he had her on speakerphone in the RV while he was also talking to their grandmother so Gretel could hear as well.

"You told us we'd be safe," Manfred said to his grandmother as he popped a pill. "Don't forget your pill, Gretel."

"Already took it," she replied, glad that the restaurant was pretty much empty.

"I thought you two would lay low," Xylda interjected, "not conjure up angry ghosts."

"Hey," Gretel defended with a mouthful of food, "It was only one not a crowd of them."

"And we certainly didn't conjure up whatever that was under that floor," Manfred added in.

"Midnight's not the same as most places," Xylda informed her grandchildren.

"Which is why we need to get the hell out of here as soon as…" Manfred was cut off by a knock at the door. Because of this he said, "See you soon, Gretel," and ended the call.

Gretel just shrugged and turned her phone off to finish her meal.

By the time Gretel got back to the RV, Manfred was gone. "Freddie?" she asked, going into the RV slowly because the door was left open. Manfred wasn't there but her grandmother's ghost was.

"A loony blonde socked him good," Xylda informed her. "I didn't see after that." Her ghost disappeared then because there was nothing more for he to say.

"I knew I didn't like her!" Gretel exclaimed and since she had no idea what she was getting herself into, she was going to call in some backup. Gretel opened the locket around her neck, releasing a ghost within.

The ghost took form in front of her – a strongly built woman standing about six feet in height wearing a tattered prison uniform from where she had been stabbed. "Hello, Gretel," she greeted with an almost motherly air. "What do you need?"

"Millie, Manfred's been taken and I have no idea what Olivia really is so I need your help," Gretel quickly answered.

An ' _ohhhh boy_ ' expression spread across the ghost's face. "Time for tea?"

Gretel nodded. "Time for tea. You have my permission."

Millie's ghost form turned to fog and she entered Gretel's body. Once in possession, she cracked her knuckles and went on her way to find Manfred.

Gretel knew where Olivia lived so Millie went straight there. She knocked on the door and when a voice called out, "What!" from the other side, she said sweetly, "I'm here for the tea party," before kicking the door down.

Manfred, only in his boxers and tied to a chair, exclaimed, "Don't do anything!" that was not only directed to Olivia, Fiji, and Lemuel in the room but to Gretel and Millie as well. "She's possessed, don't hurt her!"

Millie was ready for a rumble and even with knowing what Lemuel was, she felt she could take him. "These people took you, Manfred. They need to pay for that."

"It's nothing, Millie," Manfred quickly replied, needing her to understand that before a fight broke out. "Gretel, listen to me, I'm fine. Okay? Send Millie back, you don't need her."

Gretel took control and looked at her brother, seeing the sincerity in his eyes. With a heaved sigh, she said, "Get out, Millie," and without fuss Millie left Gretel's body and went back into the locket. Gretel coughed a bit then closed the locket once Millie's ghost was inside.

Olivia pointed at Gretel with wide eyes, "What the hell was that?"

"Someone who would have killed you if she'd been allowed," Gretel shot back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to untie my brother."

Lemuel spoke up then. "I apologize for the misunderstanding, Manfred…and Gretel.

"I really wish people would stop putting our names together like that," Gretel muttered to herself because every time it came out like the title of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. Once she untied Manfred, she turned around to ask, "Why is my brother practically naked?"

"I was looking for GPS trackers, wires and such," Olivia answered, crossing her arms. "But since you two are the grandchildren of Gypsy Xylda, apparently you both get a free pass. She didn't sound too pleased about that.

Lemuel calmly interjected there. "Your brother was just telling us why you came to Midnight."

"Like I said," Manfred answered, rubbing his wrists, "After a run in with someone who tried to kill me, Xylda said we should hide out here."

"Who are they and why do they want you dead?" Olivia asked, stepping forward with a set of metal knuckles on her hand.

Gretel stepped in front of her brother and stared Olivia down. "Hit my brother again and I will unleash hell on earth on you. Don't think that I can't…or won't."

Manfred answered the question in hopes of keeping things calm. "To answer your question, Olivia, he really wants Xylda dead but it's too late for that. Gretel and I are the only ones left to get payback from." He left out the part that Hightower was only going after him and not Gretel.

Lemuel didn't understand something. "Who'd want to hurt Xylda?"

Manfred was getting his clothes back on as he answered, "She ran scams, removed fakes hexes, curses…"

Gretel picked up from there, "Stole and spent more than two million dollars."

"None of this explains why he's so chummy with the Sheriff," Olivia pointed out.

"They showed up at my door," Manfred explained. "I didn't want to give them any of my or Gretel's secrets so I gave them Aubrey's. Now, I'm done with the questions."

Gretel made it seem like she was turning around but quickly turned back and punched Olivia right in the face. Lemuel was surprised, Fiji gasped loudly, and Olivia was pissed. "You mess with my brother and you mess with me. Don't _ever_ do that again."

When Gretel walked off to go over to Manfred, Olivia was about to charge after her but was stopped when Lemuel grabbed hold of her arm and quietly said to her, "Don't. She's Marcus'."

Olivia stopped dead in her tracks upon hear that. "Seriously? _**Her**_?" A heavily incredulous scoffed escaped Olivia as soon as Lemuel nodded in confirmation.

Meanwhile, Manfred was buttoning up his shirt as he spoke to Gretel. "I thought I said no tea party guests."

"Grandma said the loony blonde socked you and you were gone," Gretel reasoned. "I didn't know what I was walking into so I asked Millie for help. Out of all my tea party guests, I think Millie was the best one."

"You're badass when you get all protective," Manfred grinned, actually a little impressed of his sister.

"Yeah, well, you just get annoying when you are." Gretel grinned. "I must have gotten all the good genes."

Presently rejoining the little group, Lemuel spoke. "Midnight has been a haven for people like us for centuries. Some, like Xylda, stop for a bit and move on. Others, like us, make this home."

"Wait, everyone here is…" Manfred stopped his question to ask Olivia, "What are you?"

"None of your business," she replied, spinning the metal knuckles around her finger.

"Olivia's a friend," Lemuel explained. "Her, Bobo, human but open-minded.

Fiji walked in with a bag of ice for Manfred then, "Your grandma wasn't wrong. If you can stand the summers and the neighbors, Midnight is pretty safe."

"As long as we're quiet," Lemuel added in, "cops and regular folks tolerate us, but..."

Olivia cut him off, "The bitch dying isn't quiet."

Lemuel calmly picked up from there, "And with the police and media digging, torches and pitchforks aren't far behind."

"You said that people like us are drawn here," Gretel interjected. "So, question – what's so special about this place?"

Fiji smiled as she answered. "Oh, well, Midnight sits on powerful mystical energy. The veil between the living and the dead is awful thin here."

Gretel and Manfred thought the same thing as they looked at each other, simultaneously saying, "Oh."

Olivia didn't like the sound of that. "Oh, what?"

Manfred was quick to answer. "Oh, we get why Xylda liked this place so much."

"Do you want me to get you some salve for your face?" Fiji offered.

"No," Manfred replied, "I just want to get home."

Lemuel spoke to both Manfred and Gretel before they left, "Again, apologies for the little misunderstanding. This is usually a quiet and peaceful town."

Gretel just glared at the group as she led the way out with Manfred right behind it.

Once they were gone, Olivia exclaimed, "Her!"

"I saw Marcus' flame myself," Lemuel affirmatively replied. "It's her."

* * *

The next day, Gretel was walking through town when she felt like she was being watched again. She looked up and saw Marcus standing on the roof of his apartment building again with a beer bottle in his hand. Curiosity and perhaps something more was eating away at Gretel so she crossed the street with the intent of speaking with him.

Since he was still up on the roof, Gretel climbed up the fire escape on the outside of the building and went right up there. "I'd make a joke that you're my guardian angel or something but I doubt you're very angelic."

"Do you ever simply say hello?" Marcus asked, handing a beer out to her.

Gretel made a 'pfft' sound as she opened the bottle. "Now where's the fun in that?" After taking a sip, she set it down and sat, patting the spot in front of her to do the same. "I'm going to give you a reading. Free of charge, of course."

Marcus took another drink before sitting across from her. As he offered his hand he said, "I would rather not have my cards read."

Gretel, mid motion of pulling her tarot out of her bag, put the cards back in. "Suit yourself." She took Marcus' hand in hers and started reading the lines there. "You have a long life ahead of you, a very interesting one indeed. It's not one that you'd expect." Her thumb moved across his palm as she continued to read his lines. "You're going to meet your soulmate soon, if you haven't already. Again, not one you'd expect."

Gretel was going to read more but Marcus' hand ignited, burning hers. She hissed from the pain and recoiled. "What the hell was that for!"

Marcus' face filled with dread when he realized what had happened. "I'm so sorry. That was not my intention, Gretel, believe me. I'm having trouble controlling it." He reached out to offer her help, "Here, let me see."

"I'm fine," Gretel answered, and picked up her bag to go. "I'll see you around, Marcus."

Marcus didn't try stopping her and dropped his head as she descended the fire escape, hating himself for what had just happened. Yes, it was an accident, but something he'd never want to do would be to cause her harm and that's exactly what he just did.

Gretel, once on the pavement, crossed the street and headed back home. She went right into the RV and interrupted a kiss between Manfred and Creek. "Put a sock next time," was her greeting as she started rummaging around looking for some ointment.

Manfred was about to make a crack but saw the burn on her hand which stopped him from doing so. "Gretel, what happened?" He moved from the little sofa and went over to his sister to inspect the damage.

Gretel stated the obvious. "Burned it. I just need some cream and I'll be fine."

"Take your pill while you're at it," Manfred reminded her and opened a draw to pull out the burn cream she was looking for.

"Can I do anything to help?" Creek asked, feeling weird just sitting there.

"If you could grab the bandages, they're in the cupboard there," Manfred answered as he pulled Gretel's pill bottle from her bag and handed her one. "Take."

Gretel took it with a sigh and held out her hand since he seemed so adamant to play nursemaid. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"I know," Manfred answered as he applied the ointment then thanked Creek for the bandage wrap before continuing his thought to Gretel, "I just want to make sure that you know you don't have to."

Once the wrap was in place, blue and red light shone in the RV indicating that there was a cop car outside. "I wasn't there, I didn't do it, and you can't prove it anyway," Gretel joked, though she sounded serious.

Creek was actually a little worried until Gretel grinned and then she just chuckled nervously in reply.

The trio wanted to see what was up so they all went outside to find out why the cops were there. They weren't the only ones either. It seemed the entire town came out to see what was going on and came to find Bobo getting arrested for the murder of his fiancée, Aubrey.

The Sherriff shouted to the group that they identified the murder weapon and it belonged to Bobo. He proceeded to tell them all to clear the road and go home but no one moved to do so.

Marcus joined the group and stood with Lemuel as Lemuel said, "You have already decided that he's guilty. I don't trust you with our friend."

Marcus firmly added in, "You do not want to start a war."

"Go home!" the sheriff shouted again, not about to give any more of those 'Midnighters' another moment of his time.

Fiji raised her hands and as her eyes started to glow, the police car started to dent into itself before rising up from the ground.

The Rev placed his hand on her arm, saying, "Fiji, this is not the way. This won't help him. And tomorrow's a full moon, I'll be unavailable for a few days."

"We have _got_ to be smart about this, Fij," Olivia added in. "Not angry."

Manfred and Gretel exchanged a look with each other before Manfred said, "We'll help. However we can."

"And we're pretty sure we can," Gretel assured. "We can."

Fiji stopped what she was doing with a little cry and released her magic from the car, making it drop back to the road and return to normal.

This time when the Sheriff started to drive the car, no one got in their way.

Once the cruiser was out of sight, Manfred and Gretel walked home and stood in front of the house that was glowing red and clearly filled with more ghosts than had been there before.

Gretel crossed her arms at the sight of this and took a deep breath. "We're gonna need more holy water."

Manfred looked to his sister with a look on his face that said they were going to need a lot more than that.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 1


	2. Home Sweet Midnight

Once the cruiser was out of sight, Manfred and Gretel walked home and stood in front of the house that was glowing red and clearly filled with more ghosts than had been there before.

Gretel crossed her arms at the sight of this and took a deep breath. "We're gonna need more holy water."

Manfred looked to his sister with a look on his face that said they were going to need a lot more than that. It was because of this that he chose to ignore the glowing and growling inside the house and went right into the RV.

"Hey!" Gretel exclaimed as she followed him. "We're not even going to _try_ to get them out of there? That's our home, Freddie."

" _This_ is our home," Manfred replied, waving his hand around the RV as he sat. He took one of his own pills before looking at Gretel with a raised brow as a reminder to take her own.

Gretel scoffed because Manfred was clearly not going to discuss this any further and pulled her pill bottle from her bag, took one, and looked at him with a 'happy now?' expression before sitting as well.

Their grandmother appeared at the back of the RV. "Bad night?" she asked.

"'Go to Midnight', you said," Manfred took a deep yet shaky breath. "'Small, out of the way place. Nice folks. Just lay low, work, make money.'" He scoffed then took the beer Gretel held out for him and all but downed it.

"So, that's a yes," Xylda replied with a mild sardonic tone.

Gretel shot daggers at her grandmother. "What do you think?"

Manfred picked up from there. "That house is infested. Ghosts and whatever the hell's growling in there. Oh, and we just promised the town that we'd help with…" He was cut off when his phone buzzed on the table.

Gretel looked at it before handing it to her brother. "It's Hightower."

"Hightower's been calling all night," Xylda informed them.

Manfred took the phone with a sigh. Directed towards Xylda, he asked, "Remember what you used to say? When the going gets tough…"

Xylda picked up from there with a grin, "We live in a house with wheels." The three of them got a chuckle out of that before Xylda went on. "I know, but that was before I died. You two don't have me anymore and one day, when you each take your own paths in life, you won't have each other either."

"Not gonna happen," Gretel replied defiantly. "Manfred's stuck with me."

He smiled at his sister. "Whether I want to be or not," he teased. "Who else is going to be responsible for you?"

Gretel lightly kicked him for that, making him dodge and laughed in a 'oh ho, you missed me' way.

Xylda hated to break up their moment, but it had to be done. She had to get it through those thick heads of theirs. "You believe that now, but one day that will change. You should be prepared for that day – both of you. You need people – _other_ people. Midnighters protect each other. Whatever the two of you think about the people in this town doesn't matter because you know that. You've _seen_ it. "

Gretel leaned forward in her seat and grabbed hold of Manfred's hands because she knew Xylda was right. "Freddie, this town, these people…this is our home now." She sighed deeply because those words meant so much to her but didn't realize it until now. "This is our _home_."

Manfred looked between his grandmother and his sister before he admitted, "I don't know if I can handle going back there."

"It's Midnight," Xylda pointed out like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You don't need to pretend you're normal – either of you. Let your freak flags fly." She got serious with her next words, "Listen to your sister, Manny. She knows more than you give her credit for."

Manfred exhaled deeply and looked at Gretel. He's spent so much time trying to protect her from what they were that he never let himself see how capable she was. He shielded her as much as he could because he couldn't imagine his life without her in it. The time to protect her was over, he was starting to see that now. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Let me Exorcise the house?" Gretel asked with a hopeful grin but with one 'hell no' look from her brother, she rolled her eyes. "Plan B it is. Let the others know what's going on. And for once in our lives…ask for help."

Xylda smiled proudly at her granddaughter before saying to Manfred. "See? I told you she was smarter than you have her credit for. Maybe next time you'll listen to me…and _her._ "

* * *

Marcus stood leaning against the wall in the backroom of the Pawn Shop while Lemuel, Joe, Fiji, Olivia, and the Rev discussed what had to be done. It was simple enough in his eyes; Get Bobo out of jail then get the hell back off the radar where they belonged. He agreed with all that, so he didn't feel the need to chime in. It wasn't until Olivia snapped at him that he started to become more active in the conversation.

"Are you gonna be any help here?" Olivia shot his way, "Or are you too busy thinking about your flame?"

Marcus turned a glaring face to her but Joe – Chuy's boyfriend from the tattoo parlor with a retractable pair of white wings – came to his defense. "You know what that means to his kind, Olivia. Don't talk to him like that about it."

"Only _half_ his kind," Olivia retorted. "Who's to say his flame doesn't mean something bad for the other half?"

"Why don't you ask me instead of speaking of me like I'm not here?" Marcus asked, speaking more than usual in that moment.

Lemuel didn't want this to get out of hand when they so many other troubles in their midst, but Olivia wasn't going to let this go.

"Fine." Olivia walked over to Marcus and demanded to know, "What does this flame mean for this hybrid ass of yours?"

This topic and the previous one was cut off due to the entrance of Manfred and Gretel. "Speak of the devil," Olivia muttered to herself as she crossed her arms, returning back to her spot beside Lemuel away from Marcus.

"That's actually kinda why we're here," Gretel replied, referring to the devil part and not paying any mind to the rest of it.

Marcus thought Gretel meant that she could sense them talking about her, but that wasn't the case when Manfred explained what Gretel was talking about.

Manfred all but sighed at his sister's choice of words. "What Gretel means is – Here's the thing. Our place is overrun with ghosts and all sorts of evil crap."

"Crap?" Fiji asked, not liking the lack of description there. "Could you be a bit more specific?"

"Poltergeist," Manfred began but Gretel chimed in, "Or a demonic entity…maybe…probably."

Lemuel didn't like the sound of that one bit. "Well, that should be taken care of."

Joe was interested in this. "What makes you think it's demonic?"

"Because it's growling and not in a good way," Gretel replied. "It feels all sorts of evil."

Before either of them could say another word, Olivia asked, "Are you sure you're both not trying to weasel your way out of your promise."

Manfred answered for them both because he knew they felt the same way about this. "No, we want to get answers from Aubrey. The chaos back at our place will make it hard."

Gretel picked up from there. "We need backup."

Marcus was the first to answer. "I'll help."

Lemuel shot him a warning glance and tone to match, " _Marcus…_ "

Marcus cut him off there. "I'll be fine."

Gretel wondered what this little exchange was about and her hand touched her bandaged hand in thought, wondering if Lemuel was referring to this somehow. When she realized that Marcus was staring at her and how she was holding that hand, she quickly moved her hands and looked away.

Lemuel sighed because there wasn't anything he could do. "The sun will be up shortly. I'm out."

Fiji was willing to offer assistance. "Whatever you need. I know my way around haunts."

Joe was the next to offer. "I'll go. I'm curious." He then turned to Marcus with a finger pointed at him because he knew the joke Marcus was about to make. "Don't say it."

Marcus simply crossed his arms with an amused expression instead.

Gretel wondered what that was about but was pulled from her thoughts when Manfred asked, "Any of you know CPR?"

At the questioning looks given to them by the group, Gretel explained. "In case it doesn't go well." She then looked at her brother and said quite seriously, "But that is not an option." There was no way in hell that she was going to let anything bad happen to her brother. "Death likes me, remember? Let's keep it that way."

With that comment, Marcus' posture straightened and an understanding look from Joe followed because it was starting to make sense now.

* * *

It was morning by the time Manfred and Gretel brought the others to their home. Flies were buzzing all over the place and it was so cold in the house that one could see their breath as they spoke.

Fiji shivered as she rubbed her hands together. "You were right."

Even Joe could feel it. "Some seriously bad mojo."

Marcus was the last to enter and his hand instantly started twitching. He could feel the presence of all the souls there but that's where the line was drawn. Unlike Manfred and Gretel, he couldn't see them. But even with the lack of sight that half of him wanted to ship them all off where they belonged…permanently.

Joe noticed his twitching hand and said quietly, "Maybe you should wait outside. This has got to be a lot for you, man."

"I can handle it," Marcus answered firmly.

Joe didn't want to contradict him but he had to say something, "There are two sides of you. You're not the whole of either but a blend of both. Remember that before you try being a hero for your flame." He left it at that and walked further into the house to join the others.

Marcus clenched his twitching fist and followed.

"Do you see any ghosts now?" Fiji asked the siblings as she looked around the living room, feeling as cold as ever.

Manfred and Gretel looked around the room and nodded in unison. "Yeah," the answered in the same way. Ghosts were fogging up the ceiling so much that they could hardly even tell that a ceiling was there.

The possible demonic entity that they were so worried about made an appearance then. A red glow with burning embers appeared beneath the floorboard and a horrid growling followed.

The sight and sound of this made Fiji gasp, "My Goddess."

Joe could see it too. "Whoa."

Manfred wasn't expecting them to be able to see it. "You can see that?"

"That's demonic," Marcus stated, his unclenched hand igniting he quickly became aware of this and was finally able to put it out – hopefully before anyone noticed.

Gretel noticed and it made her wonder all the more what he was exactly. Seemed like whenever an idea popped into her head about it, he showed off something else that changed her line of thought.

Fiji agreed with what Marcus said. "Yeah, that definitely feels like some sort of demonic spirit."

Gretel heard gurgling water and patted Manfred's arm to get his attention because of it. "Aubrey's here."

"Time for you to go," Manfred replied, walking towards the kitchen to Aubrey.

"Like hell I am," Gretel shot back because she was finally getting what Manfred was going to do – he was going to let Aubrey possess him and show him how she died. That's the only thing that made sense for him to try and make her leave. "I'm not going to let you do this yourself, Freddie."

"You see a dead body and you experience that death as your own," Manfred retorted. "What do you think is going to happen when a spirit has you relive their death? You could _**actually**_ die, Gretel, and I'm not risking you. Now go."

Gretel could see how serious her brother was and how there was no point in fighting him on this. They needed answers and their bickering would just be wasting time. "If you die, I'll never forgive you." With that said, she walked out of the house to wait on the porch.

Marcus didn't say explain why he chose to leave as well, but followed Gretel outside and leaned against the porch railing.

Gretel sat in one of the plastic chairs, leaning forward with her hands laced together and her leg bouncing nervously up and down. "Death is my department," she said out of nowhere. "Not his."

"You're both mediums," Marcus simply pointed out. "I'm sure that makes it both your departments."

"It's different for me. I can't explain it, but it is." Gretel put her hands on her face and groaned loudly before asking, "What am I even telling you this for? You won't even tell me what you are."

"A hybrid," Marcus replied, feeling he owed her at least that much. "It's hard for me to explain. I am not the whole of either but am parts of both."

Gretel chuckled a bit as she looked at Marcus because he told her so much and yet nothing at all. She was about to comment on that when Joe and Fiji rushed out of the house pulling Manfred with them. Manfred was coughing and spurting out water, much like Gretel had when she saw Aubrey's body.

Gretel quickly got to her feet. "Freddie!" She rushed over to him but Marcus beat her to it.

"Lay him down," Marcus all but demanded of them and when Manfred was on the porch, still drowning from the inside out, Marcus put his hands on Manfred's chest and pushed down. As he pushed, all the water shot out of him like a cannonball in a pool.

When that was done, she pressed her ear against Manfred's chest to make sure that his heart was beating. It was, but he was unconscious.

"Let's get him to my place," Fiji said to them and Joe picked up Manfred, put him over his shoulder, and carried him off.

Gretel was about to thank Marcus for what he had done, but he walked away before she had the chance to.

Fiji could read the expression on her face but didn't say anything about it. Instead she said, "Come along," and led Gretel to her home.

Meanwhile, Marcus walked around the house out of sight and leaned against the wall breathing heavily as he gathered up his strength before continuing on, leaving sopping footprints in his wake.

* * *

Gretel sat on the floor next to Manfred who was asleep on the couch. She was sound asleep as well, her head resting against his arm. As soon as he was settled there and she sat beside him, exhaustion took over. Gretel didn't wake up until she felt Manfred's arm stir.

"Stop moving," she grumbled. "Your arm is comfy."

"It's also asleep," he replied, moving her head off him with his free arm. "You okay?"

"I should be asking you that," was Gretel's retort as she sat on the sofa beside him since he was sitting up now. "You scared the hell out of me, Manfred."

Manfred sighed, "I know." He gave her hand a squeeze. "Bright side? I got the answers."

Fiji came into the room then and presented glass mugs to them both. "Drink this. You'll feel better."

They accepted the mugs and Manfred said, "I haven't slept that deep in a long time."

Gretel felt the same. "Your place is so quiet."

Fiji was putting some things into a bag as she answered that. "It's more than quiet. Inhospitable to the dead. I gave it a deep cleanse before I moved in." She paused a moment before pointing out, "Mediums don't usually stay long in Midnight. I imagine it's gotta be hard for you both."

"Pawn shop's not my favorite place," Gretel replied, taking a sip of the drink.

"I second that." Manfred clicked his mug with hers before drinking as well.

Now that Fiji could completely understand. "Yeah."

Manfred got to the point now. "I saw the murder. A biker killed Aubrey."

Fiji had a good idea what kind of biker. "Sons of Lucifer?"

"You know them?" Manfred asked.

Fiji continued to gather up items she could need. "I see them around. White power jerks. Aubrey was married to one."

Hearing that almost gave Gretel a spit-take moment. " _What_?"

Manfred looked just as confused as Gretel sounded.

Fiji chuckled at that. "Confused? Join the club. Poor Bobo looked like he got punched in the gut when he found out. Manfred, you need to tell the police what you saw."

Manfred got to his feet. "I didn't see who killed her."

"Did you see enough to point them away from Bobo?" Gretel asked from where she sat.

"Yeah, but…" he looked between Gretel and Fiji. "You really think they'll believe me?"

"They might," Fiji replied. "You led them to the gun. It's a long shot, yeah, but we're neighbors now. It's what Midnighters do."

"Plus," Gretel added in, raising her glass in cheers, "we promised."

Manfred was about to pull on his jacket but found it to be damp so he decided against it. "Fine. I'll be neighborly."

"Excellent. While you're doing that, I'll get started on your house." Fiji replied as she left the room and came back with what looked to Gretel like several dreamcatchers woven together…on crack.

Gretel stood up because she wanted to see it better. "With…whatever that is?"

Fiji laughed at her reaction. "It's a devil's net. It captures evil and allows me to measure malevolent energies. We have got to take care of your house ASAP. That thing under the floor? It's worrisome."

Gretel set her drink aside, actually feeling better like Fiji said she would. "Do you think…by conjuring Aubrey did we invite it in?"

Fiji looked to her shelves of ingredients as she answered. "You know, it's like I said, Midnight's on a veil between worlds. Maybe you did. Regardless, we have got to get it back on its side of the veil."

"How?" Manfred asked, worried that he might not like the answer to that.

"An Exorcism?" Gretel asked hopefully. She's always wanted to be a part of one of those.

Fiji smiled at her. "Exactly. But I will need to prepare. So, Manfred, while that's happening, you go talk to the police about what you saw and you, Gretel, go talk to Marcus."

Manfred was fine with going to talk to the cops, but he didn't understand why Gretel had to go talk to that Marcus guy. "Why should she go talk to him? What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Gretel didn't get a chance to say thank you," Fiji replied with a knowing little smile. "He did help save your life and all."

Manfred looked at Gretel in question, so she answered him. "He pretty much did to you what he did to me when I saw Aubrey."

Manfred scoffed, "Who _is_ this guy?" And with that said, he and Gretel left Fiji's house to each deal with their own things.

* * *

Gretel did as Fiji suggested and went to find Marcus and thank him. It was what she wanted to do anyway, but now she had Fiji as an excuse to blame it on. Gretel wasn't about to hint that she actually _wanted_ to see him. Even though she did…but that's not the point.

Gretel knew Marcus was a mechanic at the Gas & Go, so that's where she headed. Creek was working the counter when she entered the convenience store part of it.

Creek smiled at the sight of her. "Hey, Gretel. Manfred with you?"

"He's busy," Gretel replied and asked a question of her own. "Marcus working?"

Creek was wondering how long it would take for Gretel to come around asking for Marcus. All the ladies that passed through took an interest in him but this was the first time that Marcus had seemed to take an interest back. "Yeah, he's working on a motorcycle around back. Want me to get him? Or would you rather go around?"

"I'll go," Gretel answered as she looked at the kiosk of Hostess cakes. After plucking off a package of Twinkies, she went to the counter. "I'll take these."

Creek smiled knowingly at her. "He prefers the CupCakes."

Gretel narrowed her eyes a bit in annoyance then swapped out her purchases. Before Creek rang her up, she went to the milk cooler and pulled out a couple bottles. "On the house," Creek said to her then just charged for the Twinkies.

"Thanks," Gretel muttered and swiped the things off the counter as fast as possible before leaving the store. She walked around back and just as Creek said, Marcus was working on a motorcycle.

The sight of him made her stop dead in her tracks. He was wearing a white muscle shirt with a pair of coveralls but the sleeves were tied around his waist. The sun was shining right on him, making him shimmer in the heat. Hell, even the grease that was smeared on his face and arms was enough to make Gretel weak at the knees – not that she'd ever admit to it…aloud anyway.

Gretel had to blink a few times before saying to herself, "And I'm back."

Marcus didn't even have to look at her to know that she was there. He'd felt her presence as soon as she walked into the store. A little smirk moved across his face when out of the corner of his eye he caught her staring at him, but presently he made it known that he knew she was there.

Marcus got to his feet and grabbed a cloth off the seat of the motorcycle to wipe of his hands. He said nothing to Gretel and let her start it off.

Gretel walked over to Marcus and held out the milk and CupCakes without a word. It wasn't until he set the cloth aside and took them that she spoke. "Thank you for helping my brother. You saved his life."

"Fiji would have figured it out," Marcus replied. "That would have been safer. My gifts are a bit unpredictable lately, but I don't need to tell you that."

Gretel looked down at her bandaged hand for a moment then turned her eyes back to him. "Doesn't matter…thank you."

"It's what Midnighters do," was his simple reply, but really, he did it because it was for her.

Gretel felt a pang when he said that. It was almost like she was disappointed that there wasn't more to it than that. Finally she said, "Right."

Marcus opened up the CupCakes and offered one to her with a 'you know you want it' smile.

Gretel smiled and accepted it. "Thanks…again."

"My pleasure," he replied, and meant every word of it.

Gretel wanted to say something else but her mind was a blank so she said awkwardly, "Okay…well…see you around." She gave him a salute and then hurried around the corner.

Marcus bit into his CupCake with a shake to his head and a chuckle.

Once Gretel was out of sight, she literally had a facepalm-moment. "I _saluted_ him? What the…Ugh!" Gretel exhaled deeply and took a bite of her CupCake and walked around to the front of Gas & Go. Once she turned the corner, she spotted Manfred putting some gas in Joe's truck.

"Hey stranger," she greeted, handing him the last half of her CupCake.

Manfred accepted it, finished it off, and took the milk she offered after she drank some of it. "You gonna be alright while I'm in Davy?"

"Don't worry about me, big brother, I'll be fine and I promise not to stumble upon any dead bodies while you're gone." She meant it as a joke but it was something that worried her brother.

"I'm going to hold you to that promise." Manfred held his pinky with a 'you know what you gotta do' expression on his face.

Gretel laughed because they hadn't made a pinky promise in ages. She wrapped her pinky around his and squeezed before giving him an assuring peck on the cheek. "Take care, big brother."

"You too, little sister." Manfred stood and watched as Gretel went back towards the main part of town and once she turned the corner out of sight, he went back to what he was doing. It wasn't long until he felt like he was being watched so he turned around and saw Marcus standing in the doorway of the garage. Manfred was still trying to figure him out and wasn't any closer.

Marcus stood there for a moment longer before finishing off the bottle of milk Gretel had given her and walked away as Creek went out towards Manfred.

* * *

While Manfred was with Joe in Davy talking to the police about Aubrey's death, Gretel was helping Fiji get things together for the Exorcism. They'd been working on this at Fiji's house for a bit and presently Gretel was using a mortar and pestle on some herbs while Fiji was working on something else. Fiji casually asked, "Back at your house when Manfred said what happens when you see a dead body…what happens exactly?"

Gretel took a deep breath before answering. "When I was a kid I saw my first dead body. They'd been shot and as soon as I laid my eyes on them I felt as if I had been shot and blood started pouring from the wound like I had been. My grandmother did something to make the psychic link or whatever it was stop. I'd been pretty careful since then and hadn't seen another until Aubrey."

"What happened when you saw Aubrey?" Fiji took the ground herbs from Gretel and added them to her own mix.

"I started throwing up water. Pretty much what happened to Manfred earlier. Marcus helped me just like he helped my brother." Since Fiji was asking so many questions, Gretel asked one of her own. "What is Marcus?"

Fiji paused mid motion for a moment and when she resumed motion, she answered. "What did he tell you?"

Gretel was starting to get the feeling that she wasn't going to get a straight answer out of Fiji. "He said he was a hybrid and no, he didn't specify."

"Then it is not my place." Fiji put the mixture in a couple of drawstring leather pouches and tied them off. "Marcus has things he keeps close to the chest, just like pretty much everyone else here in Midnight. No matter how close we may be with one another…I don't think we will ever learn everything about one another. It's sad when you think about it, but it's just the way things are and it doesn't change the fact that we _always_ have each other's backs."

Manfred, having just returned from Davy, walked in at that moment. He felt as if he'd just interrupted something between them. "Should I come back?"

"Of course not," Fiji smiled. "You're right on time." She tossed the pouches into her bag and led them out of the house, "Ready?"

"Yeah." Gretel grinned as she followed, "I ain't afraid of no ghosts."

Manfred couldn't believe she just said that. "Seriously?"

Gretel wasn't going to stop there. "Who you gonna call?"

Fiji looked at her like she was nuts. "Is this an inside joke between you?"

Gretel laughed at that. "No, it's Ghostbusters…the movie."

Fiji understood now even though she'd never seen it. "I don't watch many movies."

"How have you survived?" Gretel teased but cut it out when they reached the house. She rubbed her hands together saying, "I hope this doesn't end up like the movie."

Before Fiji could question about that, Manfred said, "Don't ask," and headed inside.

Once in the house, Manfred and Gretel set things up per Fiji's instruction. It wasn't until Manfred brought the wheeled mirror closer that he had a worry. "Are you sure about this? Mirrors in seances can get messy."

Fiji chuckled at that. "You don't need them because you can see the dead. I can't. The mirrors help me see the spirit realm. You know, glimpse other dimensions."

Fiji noticed the pendant that was hanging from the doorknob leading to the room where Manfred and Gretel first made contact with Aubrey. "Ooh. This feels powerful."

"It belonged to our grandma," Manfred explained and Gretel picked up from there, "Our ancestors fought demons and demonic possession back in Europe."

Manfred was more skeptical than Gretel was when it came to their history. "Supposedly. Either way, Grandma, packrat that she was, kept a whole bunch of stuff."

"Like this, for example, and we know for a fact that it works." Gretel pulled the locket from under her shirt and showed Fiji.

"I was going to ask about that," Fiji replied as she hung the devil's net on the doorframe above the pendant, remembering it from when Gretel burst into Olivia's apartment all possessed. "How many spirits do you keep in there?"

"Just Millie," Gretel answered, returning the locket back beneath her shirt. "This one is linked to Gina," Gretel held up the leather bracelet with a single coin attached that she was wearing and then showed her the ring on her thumb, "And this is for Henry."

Fiji almost couldn't believe this. "They let you…carry them around?"

"They're her tea party friends," Manfred explained. "Been with Gretel since she was a kid."

"They're my guardian ghosts," Gretel beamed a bit with pride at that.

Fiji thought for a moment before saying, "In that case maybe you should leave them outside. Enchanted objects or not, this process might exorcise them as well."

"I'm out of here." Gretel headed for the door and waited for Manfred there. "You should probably come, too, Freddie. The ghosts will probably try and hijack you to keep from getting exorcised."

"She's right," Fiji interjected. "The spirits need to have no other choice but the leave with the way I present. It won't work with you both here."

"Why didn't you say that before?" Manfred asked with a mild scoff.

Fiji grinned. "I needed help setting up."

Gretel laughed in amusement as she and Manfred walked out of the house, calling out over her shoulder to Fiji, "Ohhh, I like you."

Once outside, Gretel leaned against the railing and looked up at the full moon in the night sky before turning back to the house to join Manfred in peeking in through the window. "Damn…there's more in there than before."

"Yeah," Manfred agreed then he had to ask, "Do you even know how to do an Exorcism?"

Gretel pressed her finger against the window glass. "Not like that, but I read about them in a book I found in Grandma's trunk."

"And how would you have intended on doing it when you can get hijacked?" Manfred asked, trying to figure out what his sister's thought process was when she first suggested it.

"Let one of my tea party friends in first. They'd already be in me, so I wouldn't be able to get hijacked, but I'd be the one in control." It seemed easy enough from her point of view. "According to the journal, one of our ancestors would carry around the ghost of their brother and use them whenever they had to perform an Exorcism. They were as powerful together in death as they were in life."

"You're talking about our namesakes, aren't you?" Manfred asked as she moved to the porch railing to take a seat.

"You gotta admit that we were names after some kickass ancestors." Gretel beamed in pride at that and in a way, Manfred did too. Only for him, it wasn't pride in his name – it was pride in Gretel being his sister.

Their moment was soon interrupted when Gretel sat up straighter. "Something's happened."

Manfred moved from the railing to the window to look into the house but stopped when he heard a faint scream coming from the outside. Pointing firmly at his sister he said, "Stay here," then walked off the porch to go and see what it was.

Manfred walked down the driveway out onto the street and after walking a little ways he found a freshly killed Deputy up in the tree. He turned around to head back to Gretel and tell her to get somewhere indoors but found that she was approaching him. "Get out of here, Gretel!"

"What's going on?" Gretel asked and then gasped at the sight of the body in the tree. A moment later she felt as if deep claw marks had slashed into her back. Gretel screamed and then dropped to the ground with Manfred rushing to her.

Meanwhile, Marcus was working at the Gas & Go with Creek when he felt something was wrong. "Cover for me?" he asked of Creek but didn't wait around for an answer.

"Yeah, sure," she replied even though she was confused and watched him as he ran out of the store. Creek went to the window and watched him run off but that wasn't what she was focused on – It was the flaming footprints he left in his wake that caught her attention.

When Marcus ran around the corner he heard Gretel's scream and saw her drop to the ground. He ran even faster now and skidded to a stop beside them. He only needed to see the body in the tree to figure out what was going on. Marcus held onto Gretel's hand as another set of claw marks appeared on her torso, making her cry out in pain once again.

"It's the Rev," Marcus informed Manfred as he scooped Gretel up in his arms before he could be stopped.

"What do you think you're doing?" Manfred asked, trying to get his sister away from him.

"I have Gretel, you get to Creek," Marcus replied and as if reading Manfred's thoughts, he quickly said, "You won't be choosing Creek over your sister. Go." Marcus carried Gretel to the RV as a distraught Manfred took off to find Creek.

Marcus laid the wounded and bleeding Gretel on the sofa and spoke to her urgently. "Don't fight it, Gretel. Let it in. _Feel_ their death…make it a part of you. It's the only way you will survive this."

Xylda appeared at that moment to concur. "He's right, kiddo. You've done it before. It wasn't me who saved you the first time, it was _you_."

Gretel was so weak that she could barely hear what was being said to her but even so…she understood. She closed her eyes and felt every gash that the Deputy endured and after screaming out louder than she had before, she passed out.

Marcus watched as her body absorbed the wounds and healed herself. A moment or two later, she jolted awake in an upright position with a heavy gasp. "You're okay," he assured her. "You're okay."

Gretel looked between Marcus and Xylda, feeling very confused. "What the hell just happened?"

"You let your freak flag fly," Xylda answered, smiling at her granddaughter.

Marcus, unable to hear what Xylda said, answered with "You took their death into you. It's yours now."

Gretel had no idea what either of them were saying or meaning and she felt like her head was going to explode. She slowly responded with, "I don't understand."

Xylda knew she should have told Gretel this sooner but it would have opened up such a can of worms that she never wanted to spill. There was nothing she could do to prevent that any longer – Gretel needed to know if she was going to survive. Xylda didn't beat around the bush and came right out with it. "You're a Mancer, Gretel."

Gretel got to her feet with a 'you're insane' laugh, pointing at her grandmother's ghost. "A Mancer? That's ridiculous and impossible. I can't be a Mancer, Grandma, because Manfred isn't one and he is my brother." She stepped closer to her grandmother and said firmly as a wave of worry moved over her, " **Right**?"

"Of course, he is," Xylda answered in a tone that made it clear it'd be preposterous to think otherwise, but then…she hesitated. "But…"

"But? What do you mean 'but'?!" Gretel shouted back but Xylda's ghost disappeared before she could elaborate because Manfred and Creek ran into the RV.

"How bad is it?" Creek asked, lifting Manfred's shirt.

"How bad is what?" Gretel asked, pushing past the looming Marcus to see because this was now the priority. "Freddie!" she exclaimed in worry because of the deep claw marks on his side.

"You look better," Manfred smiled, but knew he wasn't going to get anywhere with that.

"You're starting to look like how I did, now shut up," Gretel shot back and looked at her brother's wound but he didn't keep quiet. Instead he said, "It just needs a little pressure."

"It needs a lot more than that," Creek interjected.

"I swear, Freddie, if you turn into some Were-creature I'll never forgive you." Gretel looked away from his wound and punched him in the arm.

"What was that for?" Manfred asked in a tone that matched the question.

"For leaving me to get to her," Gretel all but seethed as she looked at Creek's way.

Creek took offense to that. "Hey!"

Marcus cut in there before anything else could be said. "Where is the Rev now?"

"The Rev is that Were-thing?" Gretel's blue eyes went wide at that. "How much did I miss when I was dying!"

Gretel's question didn't get an answer because something impacted the RV making it rock and knocking the people within with it. When it settled, Manfred moved to the kitchen area and handed Creek a knife before looking for something else to use if needed.

Creek took the knife with a worried 'huh!' shriek. "Nothing with bullets?"

"We're new to Texas," Manfred asked and looked right at Marcus to say something firmly, "You'll protect her?"

Marcus nodded because he knew Manfred was talking about Gretel.

Gretel felt like she missed out on something big and asked her brother. "When did I suddenly stop being your responsibility!" her voice was pretty elevated for a number of reasons.

"You'll always be my responsibility," Manfred assured her, and hated the additional answer but had to say it nonetheless, "But you also became his when I realized I couldn't protect you on my own anymore."

Their discussion was cut short when the roof of the RV was clawed through, making Creek and Gretel shriek a bit because of it before Gretel shouted, "We are so talking about this later, Freddie!"

"Noted," Manfred replied then asked, "Any suggestions?"

Gretel said the first thing that came to her mind because she just knew that's what their grandmother would say. "Shut up and run for it."

At the sound of gunfire coming from outside, Gretel all but hit the deck. When it stopped, Manfred looked out to see Olivia and Lemuel standing outside. "It's safe, come on," he told the others and led the way out of the RV.

Olivia pointed her gun at the Bernardo siblings. "One of you let him out, didn't you?"

"No, we didn't," Manfred answered, then gestured to the tree. "She did." He knew that if Gretel saw the body this time that she'd be fine. The effects only got to her once.

Now as the group stood beneath the tree, Manfred had to ask. "So…if it bites you do…"

Olivia cut him off. "You're born a Were, dimwit."

Lemuel added onto that, "Not exactly common knowledge. Weretigers are rare nowadays."

Creek looked up the tree. "So the Rev did that?"

Lemuel sighed. "Such a waste." In that moment, he realized that the Deputy's blood wasn't the only kind he smelled. Turning his attention to Manfred, he said, "You're bleeding, aren't you." It was definitely not worded as a question.

"A little," Manfred replied, like it was nothing.

"More than a little," Lemuel countered then inhaled deeply. "It smells fresh."

Creek took Manfred's arm saying, "I got it, Uncle Lem," and led Manfred towards the restaurant. "Let's have Madonna take a look at it for you."

Gretel wanted to go with them but didn't. Instead she pointed at Marcus, saying, "Answers, now." She waved her hand for him to follow her as she walked away.

"Are you going to tell her?" Olivia asked, doubting that he would.

"What she needs to know," Marcus honestly answered. "I want it to be her choice."

"Smart man." Lemuel sounded proud of him.

"Learned from the best," Marcus replied then went to catch up with Gretel.

Once they were far enough away, Gretel turned around in the middle of the street and faced him. "What do you know about me, Marcus? And how the hell do you know it?"

"I know you are a Mancer," Marcus admitted, "I knew it the moment I saw you. How I knew it was because…a part of me sensed it – was drawn to it."

Gretel crossed her arms and rolled her shoulders a bit. "What part of you? And if you crack a joke about what's below your belt I will deck you across town."

Marcus didn't acknowledge the last part of what she said because this was hardly the time to joke, so he answered her question. "Reaper."

Gretel wasn't sure she heard him correctly. "Say what now?"

"Reaper," Marcus repeated and then elaborated. "I am half Reaper. Those are the parts of me that sensed what you are."

Gretel rubbed her forehead as she tried to process what he had just told her. "You're telling me that half of your hybridness is scythe-wielding?"

"If you're referring to the Grim Reaper, then…something like without the scythe." Marcus wasn't trying to be funny with the last bit, he was being serious.

Gretel couldn't take any more of this. "I – I can't talk to you right now." When he opened his mouth to speak she said loudly, "I mean it, Marcus! I don't want to talk to you. I – I don't want to see you. Just leave me alone." She turned away from him and ran back to her house, unable to deal with everything that was going on at once.

Marcus believed he could have handled all that better, but he wasn't going to tell her anything to sway her decision. So if Gretel wanted him to stay away then he would and would only return to her life if she so wished it.

* * *

When Gretel arrived at her house it looked like it was going nuts. There was a flashing glow inside, windows were opening and shutting and that was just what she could see from the outside. Gretel could easily imagine what more was happening within.

Gretel ran up to the porch, pulled off the ring, bracelet, and locket to be on the safe side and went into the house. Fiji was sitting the center of all the commotion. "Fiji!" she called out, only be shushed by her and then scared half to death when Manfred came in behind her.

Manfred held onto his sister's hand to let her know that he had her and they looked around as the fog from the ghosts started disappearing and finally they vanished completely and the house returned to normal.

Fiji opened her eyes and let out a slow exhale. Looking at the siblings she smiled. "Exorcism complete. Your home is now inhospitable to the dead. Thank you very much."

Manfred was so relieved and offered Fiji a hand up from the floor.

Gretel was glad to hear it as well, but they weren't out of the woods yet. "I hate to rain on the parade but…" she pointed at the devil's net that was completely coated in dripping black goo, "but I don't think we're completely alone."

Fiji looked at the trap and was starting to worry. "Something very evil is still in here. Can either of you see anything?"

Manfred and Gretel both looked around but it was Manfred who answered, "No. All the spirits are gone."

Gretel grabbed onto Manfred's arm and held tight. "It's still here."

All eyes went to the glowing beneath the floorboards and the embers wafting up from the cracks. Fiji heard a deep voice call out her name, making her ask, "What do you want?"

Manfred grabbed hold of Fiji's wrist. "We should go."

"Do you hear that?" Fiji asked then called out, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I want you!" the dark voice called out to her and opened the door, flinging Manfred right out of it then closing and locking it behind him.

Gretel felt like something was trying to push her but she was able to stand her ground and was still in the house with Fiji. Gretel moved closer to her. "What's going on?"

"I – I don't know," Fiji stammered in reply before something seemed to take control of her movements and arched her back.

"Let her go!" Gretel shouted but it was no use, whatever had control over Fiji now pulled her to the floor, slid her across the floor and up the wall.

Gretel tried to pull her away but she wasn't strong enough. She whipped around when a loud bang came from the door and saw Manfred enter. "I don't know what's doing this, Freddie."

Fiji could feel something slid up her leg and she cried out, "What's it doing! I can't stop it! Please help me."

Manfred and Gretel both looked in the mirror and saw a hellish sight within the glass. Along with the fire, and lava, there was a charred clawed hand sliding up Fiji's leg. "Oh, hell no." Gretel seethed and pushed up her sleeves. "I'm not going to let it hurt you."

"We're not," Manfred corrected and held his sister's hand tight. Looking to Gretel he said, "You're the one who wanted to perform and Exorcism. Go for it."

Gretel, feeling stronger because of Manfred's belief in her, pulled off the amulet from around her neck that Xylda gave to her a long time ago, saying that it belonged to their great-great-great-lost track of how many greats-grandmother and was very powerful. To be on the safe side, Gretel wanted all the help she could get.

Holding the amulet out in front of her, she said, "Demonic entity. Satanic power. Heed my words – let her go." When nothing happened, Gretel continued on with more force behind her voice than before. "We call to you, our ancestors, hear our call!" She looked behind her at the hell dimension in the mirror, then back to Fiji and continued, "Help us condemn this demon back to hell!"

Gretel and Manfred's clasped hands and the amulet started to glow – a bright light radiating from them. The light from the amulet and their hands moved out towards Fiji, helping her.

The light was so bright that Manfred and Gretel had to look away until it ceased and the amulet was no more than ash falling from the leather twine that once held it.

Fiji was released from the demon's grasp and dropped to the floor. While Gretel went to check on her, Manfred went over to the mirror and shattered it. He picked up a shard and didn't see the hell dimension anymore. "Nothing."

"You're safe," Gretel assured Fiji as she wrapped her arms around her as comfortingly as she could. "It's gonna be okay."

Fiji sniffled to hold back her tears and hugged Gretel back before turning to look at the devil's net. It was completely clear now. "It's gone," she informed them. "Your home is cleansed now."

Manfred helped Fiji to her feet. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I don't think so," she replied but was having a hard time keeping herself together. "That – that was not good. I need to go home and take a bath.

"I can imagine, but I wouldn't leave," Gretel said to her as she stood as well. "The Rev escaped."

Everything Fiji was feeling was pushed aside as soon as she heard those words. "What?"

* * *

Fiji called Olivia to tell her that she, Manfred, and Gretel would search the ranches for the Rev. The three of them were in Fiji's car presently driving to yet another ranch after the first couple were no-goes. After filling in Fiji on all that had happened that night, Manfred asked, "What do we do if we find him?"

"Bring him home," Fiji replied, not wanting there to be any other option than that.

Manfred thought he saw something out the window then. "Wait, stop."

Fiji did as he asked and pulled over.

Gretel leaned forward from the backseat to ask, "You see him?"

Manfred didn't take his eyes off the sights through the window. "No, but I think he's been here."

As soon as Manfred unbuckled is seat-belt to investigate, Gretel said, "Don't even think about telling me to stay here," and got right out with him.

Fiji followed suite, calling Olivia to tell her that they thought they found the Rev as she did so.

Manfred knew that they didn't have time to argue about Gretel coming along so he stayed quiet and led the way since he was the one with the flashlight.

Gretel finally saw what Manfred had on the ground – a trail of blood that led to the carcass of a dead animal. "Should we wait until Olivia and Lemuel get here?"

"I was just thinking the same thing," Manfred sighed, not liking the situation they were in.

"They'll be here any second," Fiji assured them.

They didn't walk much further before the sound of a deep growl reached their ears and the Weretiger slowly stalked out of the bushes with a snarl.

Manfred quickly lowered the light in an attempt to not draw attention to themselves and Gretel latched onto Manfred's arm, whispering in a high pitch, "That's a tiger!"

He wasn't expecting her to sound so shocked about that since it's been discussed. "Did you miss the whole 'Weretiger' revelation?" he whispered back.

Gretel explained herself instantly. "It's one thing to hear about it and another thing to see it!"

Fiji shushed them before saying, "You two need to work on your conversational timing."

Manfred couldn't argue with that and knew Gretel would agree. "Don't we know it."

The Weretiger was getting closer but stopped when a red light like from a laser pointed appeared in front of it. The Weretiger stopped and tried catching it like a typical housecat would have.

Gretel and the others heard a gun cock and turned to see Olivia standing there with her rifle aimed at the Weretiger. Lemuel appeared seconds later, speeding over to them. He looked to the group asking, "Are you alright?"

They were all a bit shaky but felt a hell of a lot better now. "We're good," Fiji replied, glad that Olivia and Lemuel were there now."

Lemuel moved towards the Weretiger and started circling it as it started to do the same to him. He spoke to the Weretiger like he was speaking to the Rev himself, trying to get through to him. "Emilio, we've been friends for a long time."

Olivia's voice was breaking as she said, "That's not the Rev," while keeping her aim on the Tiger.

Manfred didn't understand why she was holding back. "Why isn't she shooting him?" he asked Fiji.

Gretel was the one who answered, "Were-whatever or not, he's their friend. If we didn't make that pact would you be so quick to kill me if I got possessed by something dangerous?" When Manfred's face dropped a bit, she added, "Didn't think so."

The Tiger lunged at Lemuel and bit into his shoulder, making him cry out in pain before throwing them off as far as he could. He turned to the siblings who came to check on him, "No, I'm okay. I'm okay."

Olivia with her aim on the Tiger, silver bullets loaded, all but cried, "This needs to end."

"Olivia, you can't!" Fiji shouted back.

"Don't!" Olivia was firm with her words then her heart started to break all over again. "He would want this."

Lemuel sped into the line of fire, shielding the Tiger. "Stop. No."

Olivia's hands were starting to shake a bit now, finding it hard to keep her emotions out of this. "The Rev didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Like you said…" Lemuel turned around to face the Tiger "…he's not the Rev." Lemuel drew the Tiger his way, knowing what he had to do. When the Tiger lunged for him, Lemuel did something similar to grab hold of the Tiger. After a bit of a struggle he pulled the Tiger to the ground and leeched off its energy until they were rendered unconscious.

Gretel finally let out the breath she didn't know she was holding, quietly saying to herself, "Home Sweet Midnight," before joining the others on the trek back home.

* * *

The following evening, Gretel had music playing on as she set up the house to feel like an actual home. This was like a childhood dream coming true. So as 'Honey, I'm Good' blasted from the radio, she danced around while putting the place to rights.

Manfred stood in his bedroom doorway watching her. He couldn't remember the last time she looked so happy and it made him smile to see the sight.

When Gretel finally realized that Manfred was standing there, she laughed and pulled her brother over to dance with her.

Manfred gave in reluctantly with a groan but started dancing with his sister, matching her silly moves with ones of his own.

Gretel laughed almost uncontrollably when Manfred started waving his arms and moving around like a chicken. Her laughter was cut off when she heard a knock at the door. She quickly turned off the radio and went to answer it.

Bobo stood there with an old psychic's sign. "Hey, Gretel, Manfred here?"

Manfred came to the door and opened it further. "You're out," stating the obvious that Bobo was released from jail.

"That's right," Bobo answered as he walked into the house. "And this is my combo housewarming and 'thanks for saving my ass' gift." He took the liberty to put it on the fireplace mantle.

Manfred loved it. "That's awesome, thanks."

"It does suit us nicely," Gretel beamed then plucked her bag form the couch. "I'm going to get some paint down at the hardware store before they close. Later!"

Gretel jumped off the porch steps in a childlike nature and headed down the street, passing Creek as she did, only to not get very far. Marcus was walking down the street in her direction. She was about to say something to him but he turned around and went off in the opposite way before she had the chance.

Gretel knew why he did that – because of what she told him – but that didn't stop her from feeling bad about it. In fact, it was the strangest thing for her. It was almost as if she…missed him. She pushed those thoughts from her mind and focused on the good ones. Mainly the fact that after all these years…she finally had a place to call home.

* * *

Joe stood in the apartment above the tattoo parlor with Chuy to have a talk about his worries. "Evil is being drawn here. Human evil, supernatural evil. And it's just beginning. The more that evil takes hold, the more the veils frays…until it breaks all together." Joe pulled a tarp from over the painting he was working on to show his boyfriend what he meant exactly. It was a painting he did of literal hell on earth.

Chuy walked around the work table, asking, "How do you know all this?"

Joe explained, "A millennia ago, the last time it tore, I was here."

"So that's it?" Chuy asked incredulously. "We wait for this to happen?"

"Maybe not," Joe countered. "There's a prophecy. An army will rise to battle the evil and seal the veil forever. That army will be led by a man with the gift of vision, who can bridge the living, and the dead and a girl who holds both life and death in her hands."

It took Chuy only a second to put that together. "The Bernardos?"

Joe nodded because it was the only explanation he could come up with. Especially given what he suspected about Gretel…that she was a Mancer.

Chuy looked at the painting of hellfire, demons, and other horrible things taking of the earth. "Manfred and Gretel are the only things that stand between us and that?" He was a bit worried, he had to admit.

Joe, however, had faith. "I think so, yeah."

Chuy crossed his arms and took a deep breath, saying the very first thing that came into his mind; an 'oh wow' sounding, "Damn."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 2

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, Readers! I want to thank you all for reading and reviewing Hello, Midnight. I honestly didn't think it would get received so well and seeing that it has is bloody awesome! I hope y'all continue to enjoy the Episodes to come** **Thanks again!**


	3. This isn't Mystic Falls

Gretel was sitting in the RV while Manfred was having another 'hula lesson' with Creek in the house. She didn't have to be out there, but there were some things that she had to discuss with her grandmother – things she couldn't talk about when Manfred was around.

Gretel was shooting daggers at her grandmother's ghost as she sat across her doing a tarot reading. "You're not going to get the answers you're looking for that way," Xylda pointed out. "You've gotten the same reading the past twenty times now. What makes you think it's going to be any different?" Xylda scoffed as she lit her spectral peace-pipe. "And here I thought you were smarter than that."

"I keep doing the reading because it doesn't make any sense," Gretel shot back, tapping a card. "Either I'm insane or the cards are telling me this town is about to go to literal hell unless the one who bridges life and death fights along side the one who holds life and death in their hands. But the one who holds life and death won't be able to reach their full power without the one who bears fiery death."

"Stop with the logic, Gretel," Xylda advised. "Don't look at them… _feel_ them."

Gretel closed her eyes and shuffled the cards before doing the reading again. She placed them down and the same cards appeared, but this time she didn't open her eyes. "A man who bridges life and death…Manfred, the Medium. A woman who holds life and death in her hands…me, the apparent Mancer. The one who bears fiery death…I…."

"Fire _and_ death," Xylda corrected. "Now I wonder who that could be."

Gretel's eyes shot open at that moment. "Marcus?"

"Oh, honey, do you even have to ask?" Xylda sighed. "You'd think the Mancer in you would be drawn to him. But perhaps your just being too damn stubborn."

Gretel scooped up the cards and put them away as she said, "Which leads me to ask how the hell I'm a Mancer when Manfred isn't."

"It's a…family trait," Xylda replied, avoiding the question as best she could. "Can't you just accept what you are and learn how to use it? Like the cards said, Marcus is the one who can help you. Now go find him."

"He's not going to want to see me," Gretel replied, rising to her feet for a drink. "And stop trying to change the subject! How the hell am I a Mancer!"

Xylda sighed. It was clear that her granddaughter was not going to let this go. "You're Manfred's sister, but that doesn't mean you have the same parents. One, of course, but not both."

Gretel slowly returned to a sitting position. "You're telling me that Freddie and I only have one parent in common?"

"Now do you understand why I never wanted to tell you? Why I couldn't?" Xylda sighed again. "I was sworn to secrecy but since I dead I guess it doesn't matter anymore." She watched as Gretel just stared off into space, looking as if she was absorbing the news. "Are you gonna tell Manny?"

"Are you going to give me any more details?" Gretel asked, not looking at her.

"Not unless I have to," Xylda honestly replied.

"Then you have your answer." Gretel turned to face her now. "Not unless I have to."

The conversation as cut short when Gretel suddenly felt something off.

Xylda could see the change in her demeanor. "What is it, child?"

"I don't know yet," Gretel answered as she walked out of the RV. She was following the feeling when suddenly she heard a woman's scream. This made Gretel run as fast as she could towards the sound and arrived just as Lemuel threw someone away from Creek.

Gretel stopped in her tracks with a slight gasp because now she knew what was felt, and whispered to herself, "Vampires." And a lot of them. Two large groups came off a set of tour buses that stopped in Midnight.

Lemuel was about to attack the man that made Creek scream but stopped when she realized who they were. "Zachariah?"

"Lem," he replied, smiling, "been a long time. How's Marcus?"

At this point pretty much the entire town came to see what had happened and why Creek had screamed, Marcus included. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw the all too familiar Vampire standing there. "Zachariah?"

Zach laughed when he saw Marcus. "You've aged! Took you long enough." He laughed and hugged Marcus, who reluctantly hugged back. "Found that flame of yours yet?"

"What happened?" Manfred demanded to know. "What did you do to her?"

Lem stepped in then. "Uh, everyone, calm down."

"Lem, Marcus, you know these folks?" Fiji asked, trying not to sound as scared as she was feeling.

"Zach's an old friend," Lem replied.

"Not a friend of mine," Marcus countered, glaring at Zach as he did.

"You're not still holding a grudge, are you?" Zach chuckled. "It's been ages."

Marcus clenched his fists and stepped forward but stopped when he felt a hand on his arm. He turned back to see Gretel standing there, her hand stopping him. Marcus locked eyes with hers before unclenching his fists and facing forward again.

Creek spoke to Lem when she sarcastically said, "Nice friends."

"My apologies," Zach answered. "We were just having a little fun. Had I known you were a friend of Lem's…"

Lemuel cut him off there. "Everyone in Midnight is a friend."

Zach smiled at that. "We're not looking for trouble."

"Then why are you here?" Marcus wanted to know.

"Looking for Lem, and you, of course." Zach patted Lem's arm. "We were passing through on the way to Mazaltan, thought we'd stop for the night. Place brings back memories…" he turned to Marcus, "…when we were all together."

Lemuel didn't like how Zach was looking at Marcus. "That was a long time ago." His voice was very firm, attempting to make it clear that, at least where Marcus was concerned, things were not going to be that way again.

Zachariah turned back to Lem. "Too long."

* * *

The group broke off when Lem went to show Zach around. Marcus stormed off in an almost rage and Gretel took off after him. "Hey!" she called out, sprinting to catch up. "I'm not in the right shoes to be chasing after you!" she added, even though it was a lie. Gretel just happened to be wearing her black and white tennis shoes that evening.

Marcus stopped and turned around when she caught up with him and instantly discovered her lie. "Really?"

"It got you to stop, didn't it?" Gretel smiled then got serious. "What was that back there with that Vampire? How do you know that guy?"

"I thought I wasn't supposed to speak to you?" Marcus asked, referring to their last conversation together.

"A lot was going on that day and I took it out on you, I…" Gretel sighed deeply. "I'm sorry. And I don't say it often so there you go."

Marcus nodded acceptingly and answered her question. "Zachariah found me when I was a child. I don't like to talk about the details. When Lemuel broke off from Zach, he kept me with him. I don't care what Zach says he's here for, I don't believe him or trust him."

Gretel crossed her arms and now it was her turn to nod acceptingly. "Okay, so what are we going to do about it?"

"We?" Marcus asked, sounding a bit surprised to hear that.

"You're part Reaper, I'm part Mancer, and according to my tarot cards we're supposed to be helping each other. So, yeah, _we_." Gretel said all that like it was the most obvious and logical thing in the world.

Marcus wasn't sure if he should feel offended or amused, but his face showed neither. In fact, it was practically expressionless. "Wait for them to make a move. I have learned not to act prematurely, no matter how much I want to."

* * *

 _A long time ago when Marcus was just a child, he wandered through yet another cemetery in hopes of finding another of his kind there. He didn't understand what it meant to be a Reaper and only associated it with death so, to him, the cemetery was the most logical place to go. With his mother dead and father unknown to him…he had no one._

 _Marcus was on the verge of giving up on everything. His small body couldn't take much more of whatever life this was of his. He leaned against one of the headstones and slid to the ground, his eyes growing heavy as he did until finally, he fell asleep._

 _When Marcus awoke it was to voices talking about him._

" _He doesn't taste like a human," said one._

" _Doesn't smell like one either," said another._

" _Smells like death," interjected a third._

 _The first one spoke again. "Quiet! He awakens."_

 _Marcus, filled with fear tried to scramble away but found he was too weak to do so and felt a sharp pain in his arm where teeth marks appeared to be._

" _Do not fear," the first one spoke. "We won't harm you. My name is Zachariah. This is Pia, and that there is Lemuel. Who might you be?"_

" _M – Marcus," he stammered in reply._

" _What are you Marcus?" Lemuel asked, curiously. For he was the one who said he smelled like death._

" _R – Reaper," he stammered again. "And…"_

 _This caught Zachariah's attention. "There is an 'and'? You are a Hybrid?" When Marcus nodded, he smiled. "What else are you, Marcus?"_

 _Marcus' mother made him swear never to tell a soul what he was but he was afraid and all alone. If telling them what he was would help him then he thought it would be alright. "Dragon," he whispered._

 _Lemuel didn't think he heard the child correctly. "What did you just say?"_

" _Dragon," Marcus repeated. "Reaper and Dragon."_

 _Zachariah laughed at this like it was the most incredible thing in the word. And to him, it was. "In that case, Marcus. Welcome to the family."_

* * *

Gretel waved her hand in front of Marcus' face because he seemed to zone out a bit there. "Where did you go?"

"A time I'd rather not remember," Marcus admitted, looking away.

Gretel felt weird asking this but kinda wanted to know. "How old are you anyway? Zachariah said…"

"I know what he said," Marcus shot back then closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to keep himself as calm as possible. "I'm older than I look, but not as old as Lem."

"You have a knack for giving a lot of information and yet giving none at all at the same time. Has anybody ever told you that?"

"Yes," Marcus instantly replied.

Gretel wasn't expecting that. "Seriously? When?"

A slow grin spread across his face. "Just now, by you."

Gretel scoffed a chuckle and was about to say more but Manfred joined them.

"Let's go, we're gathering at the church. Come on." Manfred cocked his head for them to follow and Gretel did without missing a beat.

It took her a moment to realize that Marcus wasn't following them. "You coming?" she called over her shoulder.

Marcus took a second to think about it then joined them on the way to the church.

* * *

Once the group was congregated – no pun intended – in the church, they began discussing the current problem; The Vampires.

"A nest of Vampires dropping in." Manfred looked around at the Midnighters to ask, "This an every day thing?"

"No," Marcus answered from his spot by the window, keeping a look out.

Creek had more to add to that. "Lem's the only Vampire I've ever seen."

"Me, too," Bobo chimed in. "Things are getting real weird here. Aubrey and the Sheriff getting killed."

"The Rev getting out." Fiji turned to Manfred and Gretel, "The Demon under your house."

"And now Vampires," Manfred muttered. "Delightful."

"Vampires avoid Midnight," The Rev stated, to add to the list of oddities because now there were two busloads in town.

Gretel hoped this wasn't going to be offensive or anything towards Lem, but she had to ask. "Help me understand something. Why is Lem different from the other Vamps?"

"He's an Energy-Leaching Vampire," The Rev explained.

Marcus could sense that the answer didn't satisfy her. "And the reason Vampires tend to avoid Midnight – He can kill them."

Fiji was trying to find a silver lining. "Lem and Zach seem close…"

"Zach is nothing but a heartless, blood feeding, mass murdering asshole." As soon as he seethed this, his hands ignited in fire.

"Whoa!" Gretel exclaimed and went over to see if there was anything she could do to help. Try as she might like to fight it, she couldn't stop feeling drawn to him. And this was even before she did the tarot reading.

Marcus held a flaming hand up towards her. "Stay back. I don't want to burn you."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Gretel pointed out. "And I lived so just shut up and breathe."

Manfred went to his sister's side and demanded to know, " _ **That's**_ how you burned your hand?"

"Later, Freddie. We have a lot to talk about." Gretel turned away from her brother and found that Marcus was getting himself under control.

Fiji came to Marcus' defense. "He can't help it right now. Not being so soon after finding his Flame."

Gretel was about to ask what the hell that meant because first she thought it was literal but now she was starting to think there was more to it.

Marcus cut her off before she had the chance. "I'm fine." He assured Fiji. "It's the Vampires we should be worrying about."

"He's right," Bobo agreed. "Marcus knows more about this Zach guy than we do. If he doesn't trust him, then I say we don't. We can't let our guard down."

"They said they'd be gone by sunrise." Creek tried to find some comfort in that.

"They say a lot of things. Doesn't mean they mean it." Marcus' face was hard as stone and his eyes almost seemed to dance with flames.

"If anything happens," The Rev interjected, "we'll gather here. The church is Sanctuary."

Fiji had some details to share. "FYI, garlic, holy water, them needing to be invited inside – all lies."

"So how do you kill them?" Manfred wanted to be damn well prepared if it came down to it.

The Rev was the one who answered that. "Silver's poison, debilitates them. But to end their lives, its either the sun or a wooden stake through the heart."

"None of these Vamps have magical rings that allow them to walk in the daylight, do they?" Gretel asked, looking around the group.

None of them, even Fiji, had any idea what she was talking about – all except for Manfred. He turned back to his sister to say, "This isn't Mystic Falls."

Gretel held up her hands in a 'don't blame me' fashion. "Hey, I'm just trying to separate more fact from fiction."

* * *

After the church meeting, as Gretel was heading down the stairs, Manfred pulled his sister aside. "What's going on, Gretel? You have that 'I got something that might piss you off' eyes on."

Gretel raised a brow at that. "Eyes? Not face?"

"You're eyes are always more expressive, you know that," Manfred replied. "And stop trying to change the subject – you're starting to sound like grandma."

Gretel knew he didn't mean that as a compliment. "Hey!"

"If the peace-pipe fits." He got more serious now. "Seriously, Gretel, what is going on?"

"Between me and Marcus or in general?" Gretel wanted to know specifically what he wanted to know.

"Both," was his reply. "I get that… _something_ is going on between you and Marcus. I can't explain it, but I can tell it's there. That's not what I'm talking about. Why didn't you tell me he's the one that burned you?"

"Because you'd make a big deal about it," Gretel lightly backhanded his chest. "Like you're going now. Midnight is swarming with Vampires and here you are going all 'Dad-Mode' on me."

Manfred did his best to dial that back a little. "There's more, isn't there? What else are you keeping from me? I can't protect you if you don't tell me."

"You don't have to protect me all the time, Freddie, not anymore. I'm pretty sure you made that very clear when you decided to share your responsibility over me with Marcus. _You're_ the one who decided that, not me." Gretel saw the hurt look in his own expressive eyes and ran a hand through her hair with a sigh. "I'm a Mancer, Freddie. At least according to grams I am."

Manfred was hit with a whirlwind of thoughts in that moment. "How's that even possible? I'm sure as hell not one. And we're blood so that's impossible."

"I'm _half_ Mancer, Freddie." Gretel crossed her arms because this isn't how she wanted the conversation to go. Hell, she didn't even intend on having this conversation at all, but damn Manfred could always seem to get her to spill the beans – even when she didn't want to.

Manfred's mouth opened to say something but nothing came out since he was still searching for the words. Finally, he did speak. "Half? That – that means…"

"We only have one shared parent." Gretel saw the look of 'WTF' on his face and said, "Yeah, that was my first thought."

"How…" Manfred changed his wording. "Don't answer that, I can guess at the how. But who? I mean…do we have the same mother, father, what?"

"I have no idea and Xylda isn't spilling!" This was so frustrating. "And honestly, Freddie, I'm trying really hard not to think about it." Gretel took a deep breath to compose herself. "We have bigger problems right now. In case you haven't noticed we have a Vampire nest problem that should get taken care of. So, I'm going to catch up with Marcus and see what else he knows about them and maybe you can do some spiritual recon or something?"

Manfred knew exactly what she meant by that, because he was already planning to do just that. Before he went off to do it, he hugged his sister tight. "You stay safe. You hear me?"

"I hear you." Gretel hugged him back. "Don't let anything happen to yourself either. If you die, I'll never forgive you."

* * *

Gretel was walking down the street looking for Marcus when she jumped about fifty feet upon hearing a voice from the shadows of the alleyway go "Boo." Upon seeing Marcus that, she looked as if she was about to slug him.

"Sorry," Marcus sincerely meant it. "I've just always wanted to do that."

Gretel looked around before asking, "Were you waiting for me?"

"Hoping," he countered. "I can tell you're frustrated about something and feel like I am a part of that. So, I have decided that I will answer three questions, and answer truthfully."

Gretel thought there had to be a catch. "All at once or…"

Marcus chuckled because he figured she'd as him that. "You decide."

Gretel was about to shoot out the questions right then but decided against it. "Not now. We have more important things to deal with." She pointed at him with narrow eyes. "But later. Definitely later."

A slow smirk spread across his lips. "As you wish." He turned around then and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" she called after him.

"The restaurant. You coming?" he called back over his shoulder.

Gretel sprinted to catch up with him. "That didn't count as one of my questions, right?" When all he did was grin in reply, she was starting to mildly worry. "Oh come on, it didn't, right?" Still no real answer, so she groaned in a whining way " _Marcus."_

* * *

Before Marcus and Gretel walked into the restaurant, he pulled her away from the door to tell her something. He was about to do just that when one of Zach's Vampires walked past.

"You're starting to freak me out here," Gretel said to Marcus because she couldn't quite read the expression on his face but it didn't look good. "What's going on?"

"Zach is a manipulative shark. He will do and say whatever it takes to reach his endgame." Marcus' voice was quiet but he was quiet serious. "Don't believe a thing he says."

Gretel gave him a wide-eyed nod in reply. "I won't," she replied and once those words came out of her mouth, Marcus took her arm and walked into the restaurant.

"The family's all here!" Zach called out with a wide grin on his face. "Just like told times." By now, he was standing in front of the pair, saying to Marcus, "Only now, you'll all grown up." His eyes looked over Gretel in an appreciative nature. "Is this your Flame? She's perfect for you." Zach clapped him on the shoulder. "Let's have a drink."

Marcus walked with Zach over to the bar as Gretel took a seat at a nearby table while Lem was dancing with Pia. "What are you really doing her, Zach? Unlike Lem, I don't have faith in you."

"I remember you being more quiet than this," Zach laughed, handing him a beer. "I wasn't lying, my son. We're here for Lem and you."

The hand Marcus was holding the bottle with gripped it so hard that the glass shattered. His eyes filled with flames as he seethed, "I am not your son! Lem is my family, **not you**!"

Zach smiled because he got the confirmation he wanted. "So, she really is your Flame. Congratulations, Marcus."

"Everything alright over here?" Lem asked, standing protectively near Marcus.

"Just catching up," Zach grinned and walked away, over to Pia.

"I don't trust him, Lem. You shouldn't either. Watch your back." Marcus didn't have anything else to say so he held out his hand for Gretel and once she took it, they left the restaurant.

"Where are you taking me?" Gretel asked as Marcus practically pulled her down the street.

"The Church," Marcus answered. "It's Sanctuary, they can't enter there. You're to stay put until dawn."

Gretel yanked her hand for his and stopped walking. "I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on!"

"Vampires, Gretel. Or have you missed the memo?" he sassed back.

"You know what I mean, Marcus." There was no time to mess around.

"I have to deal with Zach and I can't worry about you getting in the way." That wasn't worded well, but it was the truth.

"Why? Because I'm your Flame – whatever that is?" Gretel shot back. "I have ears, you know. What does that mean?"

Marcus took a deep breath before answering. "It means that the moment I realized what you were, you became the most important thing in the world to me. I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't want to feel forced into anything."

Gretel started walking towards the Church with Marcus quickly catching up, asking, "What are you doing?"

" _ **We're**_ going to be having a conversation and it's not going to be had in the middle of the goddamn street." Gretel instantly answered and once they were at the Church's front doors, she said, "Fair warning, I'm going to be asking _way_ more than three questions."

* * *

"Where's your sister?" Xylda asked Manfred when he entered the RV and poured himself a drink.

"With Marcus," he answered, sitting down at the table across from her. "Were you planning on ever telling us about Gretel being a Mancer?"

"I was sworn to secrecy, Manny. And no, I am not going to say who made me swear. The cat's been let out of the bag but I'm not about to open up a whole can of worms." Xylda was going to stick to that, too. To change the subject she asked, "So, what's been happening in Midnight?"

"Two busloads of Vampires came into town," Manfred replied, taking a sip of his drink.

Xylda's face changed a bit at that. "Vampires are nothing but killers."

"Except for Lem?" he question.

Xylda nodded. "He's the exception. Always has been, but make no mistake, this nest is dangerous. You are food and Marcus is a prize pony to them. Gretel, too."

"I get that Marcus knew Zach but what does Gretel have to do with any of this? What secrets are you keeping now?" Manfred was losing his temper because if anything happened to Gretel and Xylda knew how to prevent but said nothing, he'd have Fiji Exorcise her spectral ass.

"It's not my secret," Xylda replied, smoking her spectral peace-pipe. "I don't have to tell you that Gretel is very special to Marcus. You've seen it, you've felt it. They're connected now and always will be – She's his Flame."

Manfred had heard that term before and realized it was from earlier that night. "That's what Zach was talking about? What does it even mean?"

"It means that they won't kill her," Xylda assured. "But it doesn't mean she's safe."

"I thought you said Midnight was safe," he stated incredulously.

"Midnight is safe," Xylda countered. "You just might have to fight to keep it that way. You need to protect yourself."

Manfred had a plan to do just that and was getting up to leave as he pulled out his cellphone.

"Who are you calling?" Xylda wanted to know.

"Gretel. I'm going to get her," he replied, but he stopped before hitting her number because of what his grandmother said to him.

"If Gretel is with Marcus then there's nowhere safer she could be." She spoke matter-of-factly. "You trusted him with her life before Manny. It's alright to do it again."

Manfred thought for a moment and decided against put his phone away before heading to the Hardware Store.

* * *

There had to have been a better time than this to discuss it with the town being infested with Vampires and all, but that didn't stop them from discussing it. Marcus told Gretel what being a Flame meant to his non-Reaper side – That it was, for lack of better term , a soulmate. A soulmate that literally ignites their heart and gives them their flame. What he didn't tell her was what his other half was. That was something a handful of people in town knew, but he wasn't ready to share that with her yet. Maybe it was because he didn't think she would believe him.

Gretel had to lie back in the aisle looking up at the ceiling to keep her head from spinning. "Just when I think things can't get any weirder." She shot up in a sitting position to ask, "Am I supposed to feel the same way towards you? Is this a two-way street?"

"You're not _supposed_ to feel any certain way. If you do, then you do. If not, then not. I will not try to convince you one way or the other." All Marcus wanted was for Gretel to develop feelings on her own, if she even did. He never intended to tell her but now the cat was out of the bag and she still didn't even know it was a Dragon.

"I'm surprised you're not more freaked out by this," Marcus admitted.

"I'm starting to get used bombs getting dropped on my head lately." Gretel returned to her laying position.

Marcus was about to say something to her, but whatever it was got cut off by the Rev coming into the Church with Joe who both looked deep in thought as if they had a life-changing conversation with one another. Greetings were about to be exchanged but Manfred presently ran into the Church.

Gretel quickly got to her feet and rushed over to him. He looked like he'd just ran a marathon. "Freddie, what happened?" She hugged him tight.

Manfred was relieved to see her safe and hugged her back before telling them all what happened. "They killed the Hardware Store guy."

Gretel gasped at that. "They killed Henry?"

"He was a good man," the Rev interjected. "They lied. They killed him, and anyone in town could be next."

"There has to be more to why they're here." Gretel turned to Marcus. "Do you think they're only here for you?"

Marcus shook his head. "No. But at the moment I can't think of what else."

"Waiting for sunrise isn't so great a plan anymore," Manfred chimed in.

Joe turned to the Rev. "We need to warn everyone."

The Rev nodded in agreement. "It's time for Mass."

While the Rev was calling people, Manfred pulled Gretel aside. "I need you to stay here, where you'll be safe."

"If you're going back out there then so am I," Gretel retorted, with every intention of sticking to that.

"No, you're not." Manfred was firm with his words. "There's a lot more going on here than we realize, little sister, and you seem to be in the center of it."

"So are you, big brother. We're both part of the bigger picture." Gretel couldn't make herself more clearer than that without going into the whole thing with the tarot – something she would get to.

"That may be true, but right now you're in the thick of it. Xylda told me that Zach sees Marcus as some sort of prized pony and since you…" he didn't need to continue.

"Since I'm his Flame I'm part of the package." Gretel ran a hand through her dark hair with a sigh. "Marcus and I haven't even been out on a date yet and our fates are already sealed."

"How long have you known?" He was surprised to hear that she did.

Gretel pulled up her sleeve to look at a watch that wasn't present on her wrist. "Oh, about…half an hour or so. It's been a **long freaking night**."

"It might get even longer," Manfred replied, looking over to Marcus then back to his sister. "Ask him how he knows Xylda." When Gretel's eyes widened and she looked over at Marcus, he took that distracted moment to sneak out of the Church.

By the time Gretel realized he did this it was too late to follow where he was going but he'd given her something she wanted to know. Gretel went over to Marcus, gripped the back of his leather jacket, pulled him to his feet and over to the farthest end of the little church as they could get.

Marcus sighed at her expression. "What did I do now?"

Gretel ignored that question. "How do you know my grandmother Xylda?"

Marcus sighed inwardly. "I was planning to get to that…"

* * *

 _Marcus had been with Zachariah and his 'family' for a long time. It was now the late 1950's and staying at a hotel in Midnight, Texas._

 _Marcus now appeared to be about thirteen years old, even though he was much older than he looked. He was far wiser than his outward age and for so long he's been trying to come up with a way to escape Zachariah. It took far longer than it should have to realize what that damn Vamp really wanted – his Fire._

 _Dragon Fire was very powerful and very rare because, despite the Lore, not every Dragon had it. They would only gain that ability when they found their Flame to ignite it. Until then, the other Elements were at their disposal but none of them were as powerful as the Fire they could achieve. And in Marcus' case, his Fire would be the most powerful of all his gifts._

 _Because of this desire, Zachariah had spent decades bringing every woman – no matter the age – to meet Marcus before draining them. If he didn't ignite, then they were food. Marcus had gotten to the point where he was hoping his Flame would be found so he wouldn't have the deaths of all the other woman on his conscience._

 _This time, as Marcus leaned against the jukebox in the Midnight Hotel, was like all the others. He was trying to avoid the scene around him – all the dead bodies of men and woman from the most recent feed – when Zachariah and Pia came over with a young girl between them._

" _What about this one?" Pia asked, stroking the girl's hair._

 _Marcus still refused to look and this frustrated Zachariah. "_ _ **Son**_ _." His tone threatened what would happen if he didn't look._

 _Marcus turned to the girl with a look of apology in his eyes. Like with all the others, he felt nothing. "No," he answered, and looked away again._

" _We'll find her one day," Zachariah assured then grinned at the girl. "I have another plan for you. Let us introduce you to Lemuel."_

 _Marcus punched the wall next to the jukebox as they walked away because he didn't think he'd be able to last much longer. It pained him all the more when he saw Lemuel head off with the girl because he knew how much Lemuel was despairing as well in his own way._

" _Come join us, Marcus," Pia invited, sliding a plate of food that he would consume across the table. "You need to eat, too."_

 _Marcus thrust his hand forward and a burst of wind shot out of it. This small gust of wind threw the plate off the table and into the wall. "Not hungry," he seethed._

" _That was not nice," Zachariah spoke calmly but there was rage behind his eyes. He was about to teach Marcus a lesson about manners when Lemuel returned downstairs with the girl. Zachariah wasn't going to comment upon it until he saw Marcus' eyes go wide. That made him curious so he turned around. "Enjoy the girl?" When Lemuel got closer, he saw why Marcus was shocked – Lemuel's once brown eyes were now a shade of purple._

 _Zachariah moved away from Marcus towards Lemuel. "What did she do to you?"_

 _Lemuel turned to the girl and smiled. "She saved me. She freed me and she can free you, too. You'll never have to kill another human again."_

 _Zachariah laughed, "Why would I want that?"_

 _Marcus tuned out the conversation and slowly made his way around the room to stand close to Lem. If a battle broke out, like Marcus thought it would, he wanted to make it clear whose side he was on._

 _Lemuel looked back to Marcus before saying to Zachariah and Pia. "Leave Midnight and never come back. And Marcus, he stays with me."_

 _Zachariah looked at him like he was insane. "Marcus is_ _ **mine**_ _and so is Midnight. We're not going anywhere and the boy goes where I go."_

" _I won't let you stay," Lemuel answered firmly. "And I will not let you exploit or harm Marcus any more than you already have."_

" _Marcus is my son," Zachariah countered._

" _You've been saying that for decades and yet you treat him like a pet than a son. You only want his power. Marcus owes you_ _ **nothing**_ _." Lemuel stood protectively in front of Marcus._

 _Zachariah was fuming at this insubordination. "Don't forget who are you. I made you. I can unmake you." He looked to a couple of the Vamps in the back. "Take care of him."_

 _When the pair of Vamps approached, Lemuel turned around and leached their energy, killing them almost instantly._

 _Zachariah almost couldn't believe what he saw. "Wait, that is what this Gypsy girl gave to you?" His tune was changing now. "Because I'll definitely take some of that."_

 _Marcus instantly stepped in front of the Gypsy girl and Lemuel stood in front of him. "You had your chance," Lemuel told Zachariah. Now leave Midnight, and Marcus, or I'll end you, too."_

* * *

Fiji and Bobo were trying to come up with some supernatural weapons in her Shop, but so far they came up with nothing. That was until Bobo came over with a crystal in his hand. "What does this do?"

"It's a sunrise crystal," Fiji answered, looking through her books. "Marcus gave it to me for safe keeping."

"Sunrise? Does that mean it works like the sun?" He moved the crystal around in his hand. "If we shine a light through it and all?"

"It takes a _very_ special kind of light," Fiji sighed. "It needs Dragon Fire to activate it. Normal light won't work."

Bobo laughed when he heard that. "Dragon Fire? Too bad we don't know any Dragons around here." He was clearly joking but it wasn't taken as such.

Fiji's eyes widened because she realized that they could use the crystal because Marcus had his Flame now. "Actually…we do."

* * *

Marcus was cut off from the story telling, not because of all the people who had come to the Church for Mass, but because his phone rang. When he saw it was Fiji, he answered. "Fiji?" he froze for a moment before asking, "Zach did _what_?...You want me to do **what**?"

This caught Gretel's attention. "Marcus…what's going on?"

He didn't answer and kept listening to the plan Fiji and Bobo worked out with Manfred and Olivia. "The only way this plan will work if he knows how…so she did tell him…I'll go it, Fiji. Whatever it takes." With that, he ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket.

Gretel was starting to freak out now. "Marcus, what is happening?"

Marcus _almost_ told her but decided against it. "It's better that you don't know…trust me."

Joe came over at that moment to say. "I'm your ride. You coming?"

"Can you carry two?" Marcus asked, looking briefly at Gretel. "I need her."

Joe let out a deep breath. "We'll find out."

Gretel followed them outside, saying, "I hate being out of the loop! I swear if another bomb drops on my head I'll…" She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence because Joe grabbed onto her and Marcus, and using his wings he flew up into the night sky.

After dropping them off on the rooftop overlooking where Manfred was congregating the Vampires, Joe flew off to get the crystal from Olivia who was injured in an attempt to get it there.

This all happened so fast that Gretel honestly wasn't sure what had just happened. "Did a pair of wings just shoot out of Joe's back?" She didn't even care about the answer in that moment because she saw Manfred down there with the Vampires. "Is this the part you didn't want me to know about?!"

Marcus didn't need to answer and presently, Joe returned with the crystal, saying, "All you, brother."

"No pressure," Marcus replied and took a deep breath. He held the crystal out in front of him and tried to get his Fire to conjure but it wasn't happening. "Dammit," he seethed and blew out again, but there was still nothing.

"Marcus…if you're supposed to be doing something then do it!" Gretel urged him because every bad Vamp in town was surrounding her brother.

"My Fire isn't working. I thought having you here would make it work." Marcus didn't know what he was doing wrong. His hands conjured it so why couldn't he breathe it? It didn't make any sense.

Gretel went over to Marcus and turned him to face her. "Do you see Manfred down there? That is my brother, the only family I have left. I'm supposed to be your Flame, right? The think about that. Think about how it would kill me to lose my brother." Without even realizing what she was doing, she grabbed his jacket and pulled him close, kissing him hard on the lips. "Use me," she whispered and back away, praying that Marcus could make the crystal work.

Marcus felt completely different now. The warmth he felt before when he met Gretel was now a wildfire coursing through his veins. The Vampires looked like they were about to go into attack mode and with a huge breath, he exhaled Fire into the crystal, causing UV light to come out the other side and shine down at all the Vampires below.

He didn't stop the Fire until every last bad Vampire was nothing more ash floating in the breeze. For as long as Marcus had known Zachariah he had wanted Marcus' Fire and now he was killed by it. This made him say, "Be careful what you wish for."

Gretel was so relieved and grateful that Manfred was alright and Marcus made it work, that she went over to Marcus and kissed him once again. This time, their kiss didn't break until Joe cleared his throat.

"Hate to interrupt your moment, but the sun will be up soon," Joe didn't think he needed to get more specific than that.

Marcus knew exactly what Joe was trying to say. "Lem."

* * *

Marcus could only think of one place where Zachariah could have taken Lem and that was the Midnight hotel. He rushed up to Lem's old room and found Olivia standing by the window, looking out at the risen sun. Not seeing any sign of Lemuel made him worry. "Is he…"

"He's fine," Olivia assured. "I got to him in time." She smiled and Marcus and hugged him. "It's okay, Dragon Breath. You did good."

Marcus hugged her back, feeling so relieved, and for the first time in a very long time…he truly felt happy.

Meanwhile, Gretel ran down the street toward her brother and leaped into his arms. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, asshole!"

"With all the times you've almost died, I think we're even," he lightly joked in reply as he hugged her.

When they pulled apart, she shoved him back with tears in her eyes. "You could have died! I **never** would have forgiven you!"

Manfred cupped his sister's face. "Hey, I'm okay, little sister. And even in death you won't be able to get rid of me that easily just like I wouldn't be able to get rid of you." He held his hand out, palm up, with the scar across it.

Gretel held out her hand the same way before clasping them together. "Your blood. My blood."

Manfred finished the words, "Our blood. Even in death, we'll be together."

"Haunting the other until they die." Gretel teared up at that vow and ritual they did when they were younger. "I still would never forgive you if you died."

Manfred wiped away his sister's tears. "I know."

* * *

Gretel found Marcus in the restaurant at the bar and slid onto the stool beside him. "Lem?"

"Olivia got to him in time," Marcus replied, taking a sip of his beer.

Gretel, not sure what else to say, said, "You didn't tell me the rest of the story."

Marcus turned to face her as he did just that….

 _When Zachariah and all the Vampires left Midnight, the Gypsy girl went over to Marcus and smiled. "You'll find them, don't worry."_

 _Marcus didn't want to read too much into her words. "What makes you so sure?"_

" _I just know." She took Marcus' hand in hers. "When you least expect it, one with hair as dark as night and eyes as blue as a clear sky will come into your life. They will create a spark in you as much as you will in them."_

 _Marcus still wasn't so sure about her. "Who are you?"_

" _Xylda," she smiled. "My name is Xylda."_

When Marcus finished telling her the story, she asked, "Do you think she knew my whole life that it was me?"

"Only she can answer that," Marcus replied, then grinned teasingly. "Do you kiss all guys like that or…"

He laughed when she gasped and backhanded him. It was then he caught sight of the hand with scar on it. "How did you get that?"

"This? It's a Gypsy pact my brother and I made. We pretty much bound our blood to each other so when one of us dies, we'll be able to haunt the other." Gretel still had no shame about it and would do it again in a heartbeat.

It took Marcus a moment to process this. "So your blood flows through his veins and his in yours?"

"In a deeper level than being related, yeah." Gretel couldn't read his face one bit. "Why?"

"Nothing…" Marcus replied drinking his beer. "it explains a lot, actually."

Gretel's brow furrowed at that. "What do you mean?"

Marcus debated whether or not to answer, but decided to because he figured that she wouldn't let it go if he did. "When I walked into the dining room when you and Manfred were together, I saw Manfred first and…"

Gretel really wanted to know where he was going with this. " _And_?"

Marcus continued after another swig of beer. "At first, I thought my Flame…was him."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 3


	4. Bo wannabe

Manfred and Gretel were eating lunch as she was going on about the whole Flame thing between her and Marcus. When she got to one particular detail, Manfred froze mid bite and looked at her with an 'excuse me' expression upon his face. When the 'blue screen of death' finally went away and his brain rebooted he swallowed the food in his mouth with one big gulp and instantly asked, "He thought _I_ was his Flame?"

Gretel had worked that tidbit so casually into the conversation that she wasn't even sure her brother heard her, but man it was _so_ worth his expression. "Because of our Blood Pact," she explained reasonably enough. "It wasn't until I went outside that he realized it was me and not you. The two of us together, he couldn't tell."

Manfred set his sandwich back on the plate because he couldn't even think about eating in that moment. It wasn't that he was disgusted or anything of the sort, he just couldn't process anything as simple as eating after being told what he'd just been told. "What does our Blood Pact have to do with anything?"

"Some of my blood will always flow through your veins and vice versa." Gretel snagged half his sandwich and ate during the explanation. "So he felt drawn to my blood in you and it's also why you feel connected to him, too."

Manfred's eyes shot open a bit and said a bit preposterously, "I do _not_ feel connected to your boyfriend."

"Oh, please," Gretel rolled her eyes. "Why else would you trust him so easily, especially with my well being? It's my blood in you that's gonna give you and Marcus a bromance. He feels it, too."

Manfred couldn't get over how amused she sounded. "This doesn't freak you out even a little bit?"

Gretel shook her head with a laugh. "It's actually kinda funny. You have to like my new boyfriend whether or not you want to." She made a segue there, saying, "Unlike me in regards to Creek."

Manfred should have known this was coming. "Creek isn't my girlfriend and there's nothing to not like about her."

"You said the same thing about…" Gretel shuddered, "You know who I'm talking about. And look what happened there." She sighed and finished off the sandwich before brushing off her hands. "There's just something I don't like about her, Freddie. She just doesn't feel right."

Manfred cleared off the table as he said, "Just because I can't get jealous over my sister spending a whole lot of time with her guy, doesn't mean you can with me and Creek."

Gretel rolled her eyes once again and joined him in the kitchen, hopping up on the counter. "You promised after… _ **her**_ that you would trust my instincts. I'm asking you to do that now."

Manfred didn't say anything in regards to that and looked at the time. "Creek will be here soon. Aren't you going to see Marcus?"

Gretel sighed and hopped off the counter. "I got the hint, Freddie. You don't want to me be around when you give Creek a Horizontal Hula lesson."

Manfred shook his head with a laugh. "I can't believe you still call it that."

"Why not?" Gretel asked as she gathered her things. "When Grams first gave me the sex talk after she caught me making out with Declan, she was all, 'It's time we had a talk about the horizontal hula'." She did her best Xylda impression when she said that.

Manfred looked at her like he'd just seen a ghost. "That was creepy."

"I've been practicing," Gretel grinned then left the house with a, "Later brother!" and crossed the street to Marcus' apartment building.

They'd agreed to meet on the roof, so Gretel climbed up the fire escape outside and climbed over once she reached the top. "Boo," she greeted with a smile, not even trying to scare him.

Marcus closed the shipping box he was looking in and quickly set it aside. "You're early," he commented, almost sounding annoyed and like he was hiding something.

Gretel caught the tone and explained herself. "Creek's coming to the house to see Manfred. I didn't think it'd be a big deal if I came over now." She saw how he moved the box away with his foot and she pointed at it. "What's in the box?"

"Nothing," Marcus answered and stood in front of it when she stepped closer.

Now Gretel was really getting suspicious. "Marcus, if you're going to get into the habit of lying to me, Flame or not, I'm out."

Marcus looked away, taking a deep breath. "It's nothing bad…just embarrassing." It was clear she wasn't going to accept that answer. "Fine, I'll tell you, but I have to explain something first."

Gretel grabbed one of the folding chairs kept on the roof and sat in it across from him. She waved a hand out in front of her with a regal sounding, "Proceed."

Marcus clearly looked like he was going to regret this but said it anyway. "Don't tell _anyone_. I mean it, Gretel. Only Olivia and Lem know about this."

Gretel was going from concerned to curious. "Cross my heart," she made the motions as she swore.

Marcus was finding the place to start and just came out with it. "You know how in stories Dragons are hoarders of gold, jewels, and anything shiny of value?" At her nod, he went on. "Well, in reality that's not _exactly_ correct. Dragons are more…collectors than hoarders. It's not always jewels and gold either, it can be pretty much anything. I have a collection myself but I only used to add to it once and awhile. Lately though, I've been more…compelled to add it more frequently."

Gretel was waiting for him to get to what was in the box and asked him again. "Okay…so what's in the box?"

"What I collect," Marcus replied, picking up the package. "It's better if I show you." He led the way to the roof access and down to his apartment.

Gretel didn't waste a second. She got right out of the chair and followed him. When they walked into his apartment it looked normal enough. "Not seeing anything out of the ordinary here."

"This way," he replied and unlocked a door across the way, leading to a large, dark room.

Gretel stopped in the doorway as Marcus entered the darkness and set the box down. "If this is something kinky, please give me a heads up so I can rehearse my reaction." She was kidding…sort of.

"Just turn on the light," he answered, the darkness hiding his amusement.

Gretel wasn't sure she wanted to know anymore but now that they were there, she flipped the switch and the light turned on to reveal what Marcus collected. Gretel gasped loudly with wide eyes as she saw the items that lined the shelves in the room. If Gretel had to guess, she'd say there were _hundreds_ in there. When Gretel finally found her voice she exclaimed, "They're Beanie Babies!"

Marcus nodded and reached into the box to pull out Zeus the Moose and put it on an empty spot on the shelf. "See why I don't want anyone to know?"

"Oh my god!" Gretel laughed like a child in a candy store. "I had one of these when I was a kid! I never knew there were so many of them." She looked around at them all before turning back to Marcus. "I have got to ask…why Beanie Babies?"

Marcus, leather jacket wearing, scruff faced Marcus, shrugged. "I dunno. I didn't start collecting them until I came across this one," He picked up Ghoul the Ghost and showed her. "Once I saw this, I was done for." He put it back with a heavy groan. "Dragons don't get the luxury of choosing their collecting compulsions, unfortunately."

Gretel smiled as she walked over to Marcus and kissed him deeply.

When their lips parted, he asked, "What was that for?"

Gretel sighed with playful dramatics. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how perfect you really are for me." A wide smile spread across her lips as she said, "Ghoulianne the Ghost was mine."

Gretel was about to move in for another kiss but her phone alarm beeped, making her groan instead as she fished into her bag to turn it off then pulled out her bottle of pills.

"What are those for?" Marcus asked, watching her pop one into her mouth.

"They…help with the whole seeing dead people and hearing their voices thing," Gretel answered, swallowing the pill.

Marcus took the bottle from her and read the label. "This is an antipsychotic. You take this to keep your abilities under control?"

"It's the only thing that helps," Gretel replied, trying to take the bottle back from him but he pulled it from her reach. "Marcus, come on. You try dealing with voices all the time and knowing that they're real. Those pills dull it down a little bit so I can actually function."

"You shouldn't be taking these at all," Marcus countered. "You can control your abilities on your own, Gretel. You don't need these."

"Don't go telling me what I need," Gretel shot back and tried to get the bottle again but once again he took it from her reach. "Marcus, seriously!"

"I am being serious." Without another word he went into the bathroom and flushed them.

"Are you kidding me! It's not like I'm a drug addict or something! You have _**no idea**_ what happens when I'm not on those, Marcus." Gretel remembered the last time and it was not pretty.

"Let me guess, you heard the voices of the spirits and gave them what they wanted just to shut them up?" Marcus figured he hit the nail right on the head with that. "You're part Mancer, Gretel. You _can_ control this."

Gretel was about to say something else but Manfred texted asking her to come home. She pointed firmly at him. "This is not over." Without another word, she left his apartment and went back home across the street. Only Manfred was in the RV as opposed to the house.

Gretel walked into the RV and slammed the door behind her.

"What's up your butt?" Xylda asked, pausing momentarily from her conversation with Manfred.

"Marcus flushed my meds." Gretel was pissed about that.

"Good for him," Xylda replied. At Gretel's shocked expression, she said, "What? It's about damn time you two stop using pills as a crutch for what you are. You with your antipsychotics and Manny with his narcotics. They cause you more harm than good." Xylda sounded like she was laying down the law, something she didn't really do with them when she was alive.

"Whatever you say, _Zelda_." She said her name like the game character because she knew it would annoy the hell out of her grandmother. Gretel could not have this conversation about the meds again, so she turned to her brother. "You rang?"

"Hightower called again and he won't stop." Manfred set his phone on the table and played the latest voicemail. An eerie sounding tune from a music box played as Hightower said, "You remember that tune? It will be the last thing you hear before I…" Manfred ended the message there saying, "He wants my heart...stopped on a platter."

"Don't say that, Freddie." Gretel couldn't let herself think of what Hightower would do. "We will figure it out."

"Hightower's old school. I'm worried this isn't just about money." Manfred was really started to freak out. "He wants his pound of flesh. Whether it's mine or yours."

"He won't go after Gretel, she has nothing to do with it. You settle this debt, Manny, he'll calm down," Xylda countered, believing that Hightower would cool it once he got his money back.

Manfred rubbed his face before sighing. "Yeah. Easier said than done."

There was a pounding on the RV's door just as Manfred finished saying that. "You expecting anyone?" he asked his sister.

"No," Gretel replied in a drawn out 'I have no clue who that is' way. She started to head for the door but Manfred held out his hand to tell her to stay put and answered it himself.

"You the psychic?" the woman standing outside asked.

"Depends who's asking," Manfred replied. He knew better than to admit to something like that before getting the details first.

"The guy at the Pawn Shop said you and your sister are the real deal," she replied with an annoyed sigh. "I need to find my brother. I'm not sure I buy into all this, but I gotta try something."

Gretel got up and stepped into her line of sight saying, "Finding a missing person can be pretty tough."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Find him and I'll pay you five grand."

The Bernardo siblings both stepped aside to allow her entrance after hearing that. "It's also our specialty. Please, step into our office."

The woman entered the RV and sat down, telling them a little something about her brother as she did. "The only time Ted visits our parents is to beg for money or steal something, but now that he's missing, they're beside themselves. If you ask me, he's probably holed up with some stripper again."

As Manfred set the candles on the table, he said, "We need something of your brother's – something that was meaningful to him."

Gretel could see the suspicion on the woman's face. "It's to give us a psychic impression – a clue as to where to find him. We'd be wasting a lot of time trying to get a location without something to hone in on."

The woman rolled her eyes. "Sure." She pulled a ring off her finger and held it out to Gretel. "Ted's pinkie ring. I took it as collateral the last time I loaned him money. Will that do?"

Gretel took the ring and looked it over. "It should."

After Manfred closed the curtains and lit the candles, he sat next to Gretel to get started. Manfred took the ring and placed it in the palm of his hand, then Gretel clasped her hand over it like they were arm wrestling.

They closed their eyes and focused on the guy named Ted and just as Ted's sister asked, "Anything?" there was a whoosh of air in the RV, making Gretel and Manfred open their eyes. The pair of them looked over and saw Ted's ghost sitting behind his sister.

She turned around to see if she could see what they did, but saw nothing. "What is it?"

"We're getting images," Manfred replied, taking in the appearance of her brother's ghost. He looked like he'd been sliced up by something. "Does your brother work with heavy equipment?"

"Ted doesn't even have a job," Ted's sister replied.

"You two can see me?" Ted asked Gretel and Manfred.

"Oh, yeah," the siblings answered in unison.

Ted tried to talk to his sister. "Pats. Oh, Pats, you were right. I sucked as a brother, a son. It was all my fault. Should have never picked up that hot blonde."

"What blonde?" Gretel asked, knowing that was a key detail.

Pats laughed, "See? I told you.

"Just at a rest stop," Ted explained. "One minute, we're driving along. Next, something's eating me like a taco. And she stole my Caddy."

Gretel let go of Manfred's hand saying, "I think we've gathered enough clues. We'll get back to you."

"That's it?" Pats thought there should be more to it than that.

"We'll let you know what we find," Manfred replied, knowing the same thing Gretel did – Ted did _not_ die a natural death.

* * *

After Ted's sister left to await their news, Gretel asked, "Where are we going to look first?"

"There's no 'we' in this scenario," Manfred countered as he exited the RV.

"And why not?" Gretel shot back as she followed him. "I'm coming with you."

Manfred stopped and looked at her seriously. "We're not looking for a missing person anymore, Gretel. We're looking for a _body_. Do you really want to go through that again?"

"I know how to handle it this time, Freddie. I'm not going to die." Gretel crossed her arms and stared her brother down but alas, he won…again.

"You're staying," he answered firmly and went back into the RV to drive off and start the search.

Gretel groaned in frustration before storming off into the house, slamming the door behind her. After pacing for a minute or two, she calmed herself. "Staying my ass," she said aloud before heading out the back door and walking to the Gas & Go to see Marcus.

Gretel found Marcus working at the garage and took a deep breath before going over to him. "Before you say anything, our…disagreement is on hold on the back burner. Right now, I could use your help with something."

Marcus closed the hood of the car he was working on and wiped off his hands on the nearby rag. "What is it?"

"Long story short, Freddie and I are looking for a dead body and I could use a car." It wasn't until those words came out of her mouth that she realized she would need to give him more details than that. "I'll explain later, can you help me out?"

Marcus knew Gretel wasn't one to ask for anything unless it was really important so he complied. "We'll go on my motorcycle." He grabbed his jacket and led the way outside.

"I don't need you to take me. I'll be fine on my own," Gretel countered as she followed him. "I just need to borrow a car."

"Well, I don't have one for you to borrow." He took the extra helmet off the back of the bike and held it out to her. "And I don't let anybody drive my motorcycle but me."

Gretel took the helmet and climbed on back before putting it on, muttering, "Men."

Marcus smirked in amusement as he put on his own helmet and lowered the visor. "Where are we headed?" After being told to check out the nearest rest stop he said, "Hold on tight," and sped off.

* * *

After checking the rest stop and finding nothing but tire tracks, Gretel was starting to get frustrated with herself. "I've never been good at this whole detective thing."

"There is another way, you know," Marcus informed her as he leaned against his bike.

Gretel stood up from the ground and brushed off her pants. "Oh, really? And what's that?"

"You're a Mancer," Marcus stated simply. "You're connected to death. When you set up that link with Manfred you were only focusing on the ghost. Now, focus on the body."

"Yeah, well, you're part Reaper," Gretel stammered back, trying to make a point but wasn't sure what that was yet. At his questioning brow, she said, "Why don't you do it?"

"I'm not a full-blooded Reaper, which you know. I can't use the full range of my Reaper half in this form." Marcus didn't like talking about this, but knew he could trust her. After all, he showed her his entire Beanie Babies collection.

"What do you mean by 'this form'?" That intrigued her quite a bit.

"Plenty of time for that later," Marcus countered and walked over to her. "You've already made contact with the ghost. Now, don't focus on the ghost but the body."

Gretel exhaled deeply and tied up her long, black hair into a pony tail and shook herself out in a dramatic manner. "Okay, let's do this. I mean…how hard could it be?"

Apparently, pretty hard because it was an hour later and she still couldn't tap into her Mancer side of her. Finally, Gretel was starting to lose her wit's end. "This is ridiculous!" Gretel exclaimed, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I've tried everything I can think of and I can't sense it."

"You're thinking too much like a Medium," Marcus pointed out, crossing his arms. "Think more like a Mancer."

"Okay, I didn't even know I was a Mancer until a few days ago!" Gretel shouted out the date in a generic way since she wasn't in the mood for being specific. "So how the hell am I expected to know how to use something I didn't know was there?"

Marcus looked at her supportively. "It's always been there, Gretel. You've just spend your entire life avoiding it."

Gretel grabbed Marcus' jacket and pulled him close to bring her lips to his, but not before saying, "I've spent my entire life avoiding a lot of things. But not anymore."

After their kiss, Gretel dramatically shook herself out again and took a deep breath. "Okay, Ted, let's find your body." She closed her eyes and thought about what Ted's body looked like, the details he shared, and suddenly her eyes shot open. Her eyes turned pure white as she had a vision – Gretel saw the back of a blonde woman drag Ted's body into the trunk of the red Caddy and then flashes of the same Caddy outside a different rest area, one with restrooms and a picnic table outside.

When the vision ended, Gretel gasped and almost lost her footing but Marcus was right there to catch her. "I think I know where he is."

* * *

It was dark by the time Marcus and Gretel arrived at this rest stop. Not only was the red Caddy and a green sports car there, but the RV as well. "Looks like someone beat us here," Marcus stated as they pulled off their helmets.

Gretel gasped sarcastically, "Really?!" She was about to get off the bike but Manfred came running out of the restroom like a bat out of hell. "Freddie?!"

Manfred stopped long enough to see her and Marcus there and then shout out, "Get back to town! Go!" before getting into the RV and speeding off.

Marcus took the cue, putting his helmet back on and started the bike back up.

"What the hell is that!" Gretel shouted as a blonde woman ran out into the road with huge teeth, screeching at them to no end.

Marcus didn't answer her and sped off after the RV and back to town.

* * *

Marcus turned off his bike in front of Gretel's house and helped her off as Manfred stormed out of the RV.

"I told you to stay here!" Manfred yelled at Gretel. "What the hell were you thinking?" Before Gretel could answer, he turned to Marcus. "And what were you thinking letting her go? We were going after a dead body!"

"Manfred, stop!" Gretel shouted back. "God! I know what I am now and I know how to handle it. I'm not the twelve year old girl who almost died anymore. You can't protect me from what we are – what _I_ am anymore."

Manfred dragged his hand over his face in an exasperated manner. "You're right, I'm sorry. I just – You know I would lose my mind if anything ever happened to you."

"I feel the same way, Freddie, you know that." Gretel put her hands on her brother's shoulders. "Which is why we need to stick together, not split apart."

Marcus, leaning against his motorcycle said, "Hate to break up this moment but there's a blonde woman who's eating people out there. Is that something we should take care of or no?"

Manfred scoffed a chuckle as he looked at Marcus. "You've been spending too much time with Gretel. Her sarcasm is rubbing off on you."

"On the contrary, my friend." Marcus patted him on the back. "It was always there."

* * *

The three of them called in the cavalry and met up in the 'Midnighter's Room' at the restaurant. Joe sat at the table sketching the woman Manfred described since he got the best look at her. Creek was lingering around, Lem sat on the table wondering what they were up against now, and Chuy sat with Gretel and Marcus across from Joe.

"More teeth," Manfred said to Joe as Fiji walked over to get a look at the sketch. "Its mouth opened up like this – this gaping hellhole. And a spider-web tattoo on the shoulder."

"And she was…" Joe began and Manfred finished with, "Eating people, yeah. Men, specifically."

"Sounds like a Succubus, which is odd," Lemuel interjected. "Which is odd, I haven't seen one around here in over a century."

"That _thing_ ," Gretel waved towards the picture, "is a Succubus? Damn, she's nothing like Bo Dennis."

"Bo was overrated." Marcus turned to Gretel, "I preferred Kenzi."

Manfred cut into their side conversation by saying, "Since this isn't Lost Girl, what is a Succubus exactly?"

"Ancient supernaturals," Lem replied as he walked around the table to an empty seat. "Hunters – _rare_. They usually lie low, and they have a perpetual glamour that lets them appear beautiful so they can seduce their prey. But they only feed on men who have caused pain."

"Wonder why she came after you?" Chuy chimed in, suspiciously.

Creek jumped right on that bandwagon. "Yeah, why?"

Manfred scoffed, saying, "So, what, no one here has ever caused anyone pain?"

Joe nipped that conversation in the bud. "Fair enough."

"The real question is, why now?" Lem asked. "Why would a Succubus show up here acting so recklessly?"

Joe and Chuy exchanged a knowing look with each other but neither said a word about it.

It was Gretel who said, "She's probably here for the same reasons the Vamps were – they felt drawn here." When eyes turned to her she said, "I did a reading and the cards said that this town would become hell on earth if we didn't stop it. Maybe these supernaturals being drawn here is a part of that."

"We can figure out the meaning of your reading later, Sis," Manfred said to her, "Right now, we have a Succubus to deal with."

"A Succubus that is leaving a trail of bodies that will bring the police right back to us," Joe sighed.

Chuy agreed. "We need to stop her before she causes more damage."

Manfred had one question, "How do we do that?"

"According to Wikipedia..." Chuy began and Joe picked up from there, "And Medieval folklore…Dragon breath. Well, Dragon fire."

All those present turned to Marcus almost simultaneously. Marcus sighed in mild annoyance, "Me, _again_?" He leaned onto the table a little, asking, "What else does the Lore say? I've never exactly killed a Succubus before."

"We need to get the Succubus to drop its glamour before we – well, you – can kill it," Chuy explained.

Gretel looked at him curiously, "According to Wikipedia?"

"And Medieval folklore," Joe added in, once again.

"And how exactly are we supposed to get the Bo wannabe to drop their glamour?" Gretel asked, looking around the room for suggestions.

Fiji stepped forward with a smile. "I think I know."

* * *

Fiji brought everyone who would be helping take down the Succubus back to her shop. In her greenhouse she started gathering ingredients as she explained, "I'm making a tincture. Which is really just a fancy word for potion. This will remove the Succubus's glamour and allow Marcus to fry her ass."

"We know how to kill her, but how do we find her?" Manfred asked, leaning against the doorway.

"She'll be looking for men," Joe answered.

Creek was the one with the answer to that. "If she's trolling for guys around here, there's only one place to go on a Thursday night."

"You actually have some helpful information? I think that's a first," Gretel laughed.

Creek's face hardened as she turned to Gretel. "What the hell is your problem."

"My gut doesn't like you and I trust my gut," Gretel shot back before turning to Manfred. "And it wouldn't be the first time I'd be right."

Marcus stepped in then saying, "Let's get some air," and guided Gretel out of the greenhouse. Once they were outside he asked, "What's your problem with Creek?"

"I don't like her, Marcus," Gretel emotionally answered. "There's something about her that makes my skin crawl. I know she's your friend but…"

Marcus cut her off, "She's not my friend. I work for her father, I mind my manners, but she is not my friend." He looked around to make sure they were alone before walking towards her saying in a hushed tone, "I don't know anything about Creek or her family but I've always gotten a strange vibe from her as well. I keep that to myself because Creek has a lot of people that care about her in this town and I don't intended on getting cast out because of it."

Gretel looked at him in question, "Are you telling me that I should keep my mouth shut about her because if it came down to it, they would side with her?"

Marcus nodded without a second thought. "Every time."

* * *

The group stood outside the Cartoon Saloon and took their tincture spray bottles before heading inside. Once in the bar, Fiji gave them all directions, "We just need to get a drop of tincture in the Succubus's mouth."

Lem picked up from there, "Then we have to get her away from people, somewhere private before anyone notices what's happening."

"We should split up. Blend in," Manfred advised.

"Let's blend," Olivia said to Gretel and Marcus before grabbing their hands and leading them to the dancefloor.

"Cruel and unusual punishment," Marcus said to Olivia who grinned and replied with, "But oh so amusing."

Gretel laughed at the look of horror on Marcus' face as Olivia had them all join in the line dance. She was actually enjoying it while keeping her eyes peeled but that all stopped when she heard Manfred say the name 'Trisha'. "I'll be back," she said to Marcus, "You keep dancing."

Gretel went to Manfred over at the bar and pulled him away with an "Excuse us," to Creek. When they were far enough away, she asked, "What the hell were you doing talking about… _ **her**_?"

"You heard that?" Manfred asked in slight awe. "It was the first name popped into my head."

"I have a sixth sense when it comes to _**her**_." Gretel pressed her hands together before pressing her finger into his chest. "Don't say that name again, Manfred. I'm serious. She's like freaking Beetlejuice – Say the name three times and they appear. Whether you want them to or not."

Manfred thought she was overreacting but promised her anyway. "I won't say her name again, okay? Now let's focus on finding the – what did you call the Succubus?"

"Bo wannabe," Gretel answered, actually cracking a smile.

"Right," as Manfred walked away he said, "I have to agree with Marcus. Kenzi was definitely the better character."

Gretel laughed at that before heading back to the dancefloor to save Marcus from Olivia making him and to look around for the 'Bo wannabe'.

* * *

After checking around every place the bar had access to, Manfred texted Gretel saying the Succubus was in the parking lot. "Parking lot," she informed Marcus and the pair of them rushed outside.

Creek had succeeded in dosing the Succubus that was now coughing and gagging because of the tincture. "We have to get her out of sight," Joe told Lem who answered with, "Got it."

Lem picked up the Succubus and threw her over his shoulder before speeding off.

"Let's go," Manfred said to the group and they all got into the RV.

"How long will it take for the tincture to remove the glamour?" Marcus needed to know this because he couldn't kill her until while the glamour was present.

"Shouldn't be long," Fiji answered, "but we'll know for sure when we get there."

Presently, Manfred pulled the RV into the clearing where Lemuel was standing watch over the Succubus who was contorting on the ground from the tincture.

They all gathered around her and when Manfred saw what was happening to her, he asked, "Is this normal?"

"Transformations are always painful," Fiji explained.

"What are you doing to me!" the Succubus screeched from the ground – her glamour still intact.

"Supernaturals lay low in these parts," Lemuel answered. "Indiscriminate hunting of humans will not be tolerated!"

When the transformation was complete the Succubus turned into a horrid looking hag who leaped to her feet and snarled at Marcus. " _Dragon_ ," she hissed and tried to make a getaway but Lem sped in front of her and threw her back against the tree.

"Marcus, do it," Olivia said to him but nothing was happening. "Use your fire breath, dude."

"I'm trying." Marcus was doing his best to focus on his Dragon fire but it wasn't working. "I haven't figured out how to use it on command."

The Succubus regained consciousness and contorted itself like that kid from the Grudge before taking off running on all fours.

"Killing this thing was supposed to be easy!" Creek exclaimed. "What the hell, Marcus?" A moment later they heard a voice call out, "Creek! Help!", making Creek gasp. "That's Connor."

This time Gretel was the one to say, "Split up!"

The group broke off to try and find Connor. Manfred went with Gretel and Marcus while the others paired off to look for Connor.

"Connor!" Gretel called out as they ran off, hoping to find him.

After looking for a little bit, they found the Succubus ready to take a bite out of Connor. "Stop!" Manfred shouted at her. "Don't do this."

"He deserves it!" The Succubus hissed. "They all do!"

"But I deserve it more, don't I?" Manfred was baiting her and it was working.

"Freddie, what are you doing?" Gretel asked as she and Marcus stood there, waiting for what happens next.

"Testing your theory," Manfred replied before turning his attention back to the Succubus. "You know I'm right. I've caused more pain than he has. Don't you want to make me pay for it?"

The Succubus looked down at Connor before she threw him away and charged at Manfred with a shrieking cry. The Succubus didn't make it to Manfred though. She was hit by Marcus' fire before she had the chance.

Gretel looked at Marcus in awe as the stream of fire left his mouth, incinerating the screaming Succubus before she turned to a pool of flaming sludge.

When Marcus stopped his fire breath, he looked at Manfred. "You were right."

Gretel had no idea what they were talking about. "Right about what? What theory?"

"Your blood," Marcus explained as she went to help Connor to his feet. "There's some of your blood in him. Because of it, either of you being in harm's way will ignite my Dragon fire."

"Does any of that make sense to you?" Connor asked Gretel, having zero clue what was being said.

Gretel laughed as she said, "Yeah, it does."

Presently the rest of the group found them and Creek ran straight to her brother and hugged him tight.

Lemuel looked at the sludge on the ground then over to Marcus. "You were able to use your fire?"

"Protective instinct kicked in," Marcus explained and left it at that.

Manfred didn't really want that to go into detail so he appreciated Marcus keeping it to a minimum. He went over to Gretel, draped his arm over her shoulders and said, "Let's go home."

* * *

The next morning, Manfred and Gretel had to talk to Ted's sister. They stood on the porch as they did. Manfred took the lead and finished with, "We're sorry for what happened to your brother."

She looked down as she said, "Yeah, well, we never would have found Ted's body without your help." She handed Manfred the check with a "Thank you" before walking away and not looking back.

Gretel and Manfred were about to head into the house when they heard a whistle. Seeing Creek approaching, Gretel said, "I'll be in the RV." She hopped off the porch and headed into the RV before Creek got there.

Before she even closed the door, Xylda said, "Creek isn't Trisha."

Gretel glared at her grandmother's ghost before looking out the window to see Manfred and Creek go into the house. "Don't say _**her**_ name, Grandma." Gretel sighed, "I know they're not the same person, but there's something about Creek – I don't like her." She turned to her grandmother, "And one of these days, I'm going to find out why."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 4


	5. Violet

Gretel walked out her room with a pleased smile on her face. "I smell coffee!"

"You're a coffee addict," Manfred replied, handing her the cup he already had ready for her.

"It's like an elixir from the gods," Gretel sighed with appreciation, taking in the glorious aroma.

Manfred shook his head with a laugh at that before drinking his own coffee. "How are you dealing with things since Marcus threw out your pills?"

"It's like a million different voices in my head at once," Gretel groaned as she leaned against the kitchen counter. "I can hear the voices from all the way down at the Pawn Shop."

"Seriously?" Manfred was a bit worried about that.

Gretel nodded her head while drinking the coffee. " _ **Yeah**_ , and it sucks. I know I'm supposed to be able to…deal with this or whatever, but it's taking every thing I got right now to focus on just your voice and not all the others."

"Where is Marcus anyway?" Manfred asked, handing her over a donut from he box as he spoke. "I figured he'd be spending the night or something."

"He's gone to Dallas to pick up a part for the Vintage car he's working on," Gretel answered convincingly enough. She wasn't about to tell her brother that Marcus was really in Dallas to purchase some rare Beanie Baby collectible. After all, she promised Marcus she wouldn't.

Before either of them could say another word about anything, there was loud thump at the front door. The siblings looked at each other before to check it out. Manfred made sure Gretel was behind him when he answered the door but there wasn't anyone there. There was, however, a rock near the door so someone obviously threw it there.

"What's that?" Gretel asked, noticing a box near the porch steps.

Manfred picked up the rock and tossed it aside before going to the box. He started turning the handle on the side and a creepy lullaby melody started to play before a 'Manfred-in-the-box' shot out that was completely disfigured.

"That's messed up," Gretel said after catching her breath then pulled out a slip of paper from the box. Written upon it was 'Old Train Station – 10 AM'. "This is Hightower, isn't it?"

"You're getting out of here, now," Manfred answered seriously, grabbing Gretel's hand and dragging her to the RV.

"I'm not going anywhere, Manfred!" Gretel shouted back, yanking her hand from his. "I had nothing to do with the grift you and Grams pulled on him."

"But you know what he wanted and that's not going to change," Manfred answered. "If I'm gone there's nothing stopping him from going after you and forcing you to give him what he wants. I'm not going to let that happen."

Gretel was going to use that to her advantage. "You've just established he won't hurt me until then so I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to help you take him down once and for all."

"No, Gretel, you're not." Manfred couldn't be any clearer than that. "If he strays from his need for revenge and takes you instead, I will **never** forgive myself. So you're getting out of town, now."

Gretel was about to shoot something back at him but she couldn't because there were dozens of voices screaming in her head. "Freddie…" she gasped in pain, and clinged to him as he caught her before she fell. "There's something wrong at the Pawn Shop…go!"

Manfred listened to her and took off down the street to find the Sons of Lucifer having set the Pawn Shop on fire. Gretel was feeling all the possessed items calling out that this was happening – if the objects were destroyed completely then they would never be able to move on one way or the other.

Gretel, who was presently leaning against the RV for support was getting her bearing backs before the voices stopped screaming. She walked to the end of the drive and saw Manfred down the street with everyone else and took that opportunity to take matters into her own hands. She started running off towards the train station with the idea of giving Hightower a deal – Manfred's life for hers.

* * *

Gretel almost made it to the station before Manfred started blowing up her phone. She finally answered it saying, "I talk, you listen. I got this, Freddie. You've been saving me my entire life and now it's time for me to save you." She ended the call before Manfred had a chance to say a word.

It was late by now, no wonder since Gretel walked all the way there on foot, and she just entered the abandoned railroad station. Gretel shook her body out, saying to herself, "I've got this. I've got this. I don't need a hero." With this not-so-helpful pep-talk in place, Gretel walked further into the station.

Hightower was nowhere in sight so she called out, "Hightower! My name is Gretel Bernardo, I have a proposition for you! I know what my brother and grandmother did and I know why you wanted Manfred to marry your daughter. You want your bloodline to be pure again? Well," Gretel threw out her arms, "here I am! You leave my brother in peace and I'll give you as many kids as I can carry!"

"That's your big plan?" Manfred asked from behind her with a gun in one hand and a case of money in the other with Olivia by his side.

Gretel jumped right out of her skin and screeched a bit. "Freddie! I said I'd handle this! What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving you from offering yourself up as a broodmare, apparently," Manfred shot back. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm not dumb, Manfred." Gretel scoffed at him. "Did you really think I'd let him lay a hand on me?" She waved her hand out towards Olivia asking, "What's she doing here?"

"I owe you," she answered, "and I don't like owing people."

Gretel put a 'whatever' expression on her face and turned back to Manfred. "Just go home, Freddie."

"You're beyond stupid if you think that's happening," he retorted. " _You_ go home."

Gretel swirled her hand in front of her saying, "You know what you just said to me?" she swirled her hand around in to the opposite direction, "Now imagine it's me saying it to you."

"Will you two just shut up?" Olivia scoffed, drawing her weapon. "And let's get this weirdo."

Manfred gave his sister one last 'get out of here' look which she responded with a 'no way in hell' expression before following Olivia's lead.

As the three of them went into the back room, Gretel froze. "There's death here."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked and was answered by Gretel pointing at the red hooded figure sitting up in the chair.

Manfred and Olivia went to check it out and found Violet's, Hightower's daughter's, dead body dressed her wedding gown sitting upright in that chair.

"Jesus," Manfred exclaimed at the sight. "Violet."

"Hightower's daughter?" Gretel asked, getting closer but taking care not to look at the body directly. She could handle it now, but it wasn't something the enjoyed doing. Besides, she'd never seen a body more than a few weeks old, so who knew what the reaction would be this time.

"What else is she?" Hightower asked from the doorway. "Tell her Manfred. I would like to hear you say it before I discuss business with your sister."

"You're not getting anywhere near my sister," Manfred answered firmly, moving to stand protectively in front of her.

"As I never should have let you near my daughter." Hightower replied. "You were engaged to my Violet and you walked out on her. Left her at the altar! You must pay for that."

Olivia was growing impatient. "That's not very nice, but that's also not why I'm here. One-hundred thousand dollars, I'll throw in interest. That work for you?"

"No, not really," Hightower answered as he walked further into the room. "I must say I much preferred the girl's offer better." He stood in the moonlight shining in through the broken window to reveal his loss of an eye – a sacrifice her made. "But I will not be able to get her with you two around." Hightower held out his hands and used his power of telekinesis to pull Olivia's and Manfred's guns to him, which he proceeded to fire back at them.

The three of them ducked for cover behind some old metal barrels and Olivia shouted, "Might have mentioned the whole telekinetic thing!"

"That's black magic," Manfred answered, "it's bad."

"We can see that!" Gretel shouted at him – not knowing Hightower was telekinetic either.

After Hightower emptied the clips in the guns, the three of them ran out of there light a bat out of hell and closed the doors behind them right before all the shattered glass Hightower used his power on was right about to impale them all.

"Manfred!" Hightower bellowed. "You cannot run from me! You will pay for what you have done and your sister will be the price!"

* * *

Manfred couldn't even talk to Gretel on the way back to town and it wasn't until they parked outside of the restaurant and got out of the car that he started in on her, "Dammit, Gretel! Do you realize what could have happened? What he could have done to you?!"

"As I said before – do you really think I'd let him lay a hand on me?" Gretel shot back. "I'm well prepared to take care of myself."

"You saw his power! Do you really think he'd give you the opportunity to _let_ him do anything!" Manfred rubbed his hands over his face because he couldn't even fathom what Hightower would make Gretel do against her will with his power. "You were reckless, Gretel. How – how could you even think that would be a good plan?"

"Clearly she didn't think things through," Olivia interjected, not thinkin that this was the kind of argument to be had in the middle of the street. "So, Gretel, why don't you just go home while I have a chat with your brother?"

Gretel threw up her hands and stormed off in that direction as Manfred called out to her, "This isn't over, Gretel!"

Olivia grabbed him by the arm saying, "Yeah, I think she gets that."

At that moment Creek came out of the restaurant asking, "Everything settled?"

Olivia scoffed at that. "We're not even anywhere near the vicinity of being settled."

* * *

Gretel paced back and forth, picking at her black nail polish, as she tried and figured things out. She didn't get very far before Olivia and Manfred came into the house.

"We have a plan," Manfred began and Olivia held up a pair of handcuffs, "but you're not a part of it."

"Oh, hell no," Gretel exclaimed. "You are **not** cuffing me to the radiator."

Manfred started towards her and she pushed the chair at him before leaping over the coffee table and running out the door before Olivia could grab her. Once Gretel was outside, she shouted, "Tea Party!"

"Wait," Manfred said to Olivia before she went after Gretel.

Olivia didn't see a problem. "What's going on?"

"Gretel's tea party ghosts are here," Manfred warned her. "Three ghosts who are _very_ protective of Gretel and thanks to them being tethered to her items…then can become semi-corporeal."

"What the hell does that mean?" Olivia demanded to know.

"They can hurt you," Gretel answered, standing behind her three ghosts. "And you won't ever see them coming."

Manfred held up his hands to show he meant no harm. "Gretel, we don't have time for this. Please send them back so we can get this done. It's only a matter of time before Hightower shows up here."

"Let him come," Gretel shot back. "And when he returned to Violet's body. I'll be waiting for him." Without another word, she got onto the motorcycle Marcus had been teaching her to ride and sped off with the ghosts right with her.

"You're seriously going to let her go?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"Don't have a choice," Manfred answered. "You've only had a glimpse of what those ghosts will do for her." After a moment he said, "Hightower would never think I'd leave Gretel's side. The plan stays the same. He'll come and we'll be ready for him."

* * *

Gretel returned the ghosts back to their items and walked through the abandoned train station. Hightower was nowhere to be seen but eventually she found Violet. Gretel descended the stairs to the room below where Violet lay and knelt down beside the body and pulled back the hood covering her face.

As soon as Gretel saw her eyes she gasped and absorbed Violet's death into her body. She didn't let the death take her over and allowed it to become a part of her. This wore her out and she collapsed beside Violet's body. "Freddie has such bad luck with women," Gretel said weakly before blacking out.

She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious for but she awoke with a start. Gretel got to her feet and was about to leave but was prevented from doing so when Manfred came tumbling down the stairs.

"What are you doing?" Manfred shouted up to Hightower, not realizing Gretel was there yet.

"You do what you said – give me peace, closure, and I'll let you out. If not…" Hightower saw Gretel standing there below and finished his thought, "you'll join Violet and your sister will be mine."

Manfred quickly turned to see Gretel standing there and the wall of windows cracking from Hightower's power as he said, "Fantastic."

"Don't lecture me, Freddie," Gretel said as she held out her hand towards him.

"Oh, even if I don't live through this I will be lecturing you until the day you die," Manfred shot back before taking a deep breath as he went over to Violet's body.

"What was Hightower talking about?" Gretel asked, now standing beside Manfred. "What about peace?"

"He wants to talk to Violet," Manfred answered. "If that gives him closure then he'll let me go and will leave you alone."

"Okay," Gretel said simply enough, "you get her and I'll take care of the rest." At Manfred's look she added in, "Trust me."

"That's a loaded request, sis," Manfred retorted.

Gretel looked at him seriously. "Forget about today, Manfred, and trust me. You get her here and then I'll take it from there." She left out the part where she was planning on finding out what it really meant to be a Mancer.

Manfred gave her a concerned and questioning look, but he didn't have a choice. One way or another, he was going to have to summon Violet's spirit so even if he didn't agree with Gretel's plan when the time came for it – he was gonna have to get Violet.

Manfred crouched beside Violet's body and took her hand – albeit reluctantly. "Violet…" He sighed. "…We didn't know each other all that well, but you seemed…nice. You – you can't be okay with this. I didn't do right by you, but…your father's insane, I need help." He looked to Gretel as he said, "My sister needs your help."

A moment later, eerie whispers and smoke filled the room before Violet's ghost appeared.

"God, Violet," Manfred said to her. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"You left," she answered. "You didn't think that would hurt?"

"Well, yeah," he admitted, "but I…I didn't think you'd kill yourself over me."

Violet looked at him like he was a pompous ass. "I didn't." She looked at Gretel saying, "She needs my help, huh? My father want to knock her up now?"

"Something like that," Gretel answered but didn't get a chance to say anything else.

Violet kept her from saying another word by asking, "So, where's my father?"

"Violet's spirit is with us," Manfred informed Hightower who was standing on the floor above, looking down on them.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Hightower asked in return.

Manfred turned back to Violet. "Help me prove you're here."

Violet thought for a moment before saying, "The night before you ran out on me, my dad gave me a present…"

After being told what it was, Manfred said to Hightower, "You gave her a christening dress for the grandchildren. You told her about her ancestors, how the Hightowers were once powerful psychics. You thanked her for bringing it back to the bloodline."

Hightower started to cry softly, "Violet…it's you." He quickly unbolted the door and went downstairs to join them in the room below. "Now where is she?"

Manfred stood protectively closer to Gretel as he gestured to where Violet stood. "She's right here." He turned back to Violet, "What do you want to tell him?"

Violet's expression started out sweet as she said, "You tell my daddy…" and then turned dark and hateful, "I hope he rots in hell!"

Gretel wasn't expecting to hear that. "Plot twist," she said to her brother in a whispered sing-songy voice.

The sun was rising over the horizon now. And Hightower wanted to know, "What is she saying? What is my Violet saying to you?"

"Well," Manfred began to say, "she's…uh…a little upset."

Hightower misunderstood that. "Well of course she's upset! You left her!"

"I agreed to marry Manfred because of you!" Violet shouted at him, but he couldn't hear. "I wanted to please you!"

"Your opinion is very important to her," Gretel said to Hightower on Violet's behalf because neither of them could exactly tell Hightower what she was really saying about him.

"Tell him the truth!" Violet shouted at the siblings. "Both of you, tell him the truth!"

Manfred took it from there. "The past, Violet – that's another lifetime ago. We all did things we wish we could take back." He spoke quieter to her. "Your father held you back. He still does. You're still tethered to this world because you're not letting go – you need to forgive…"

"I'm done being told what to do!" Violet seethed.

"It's the only way you'll get closure," Manfred calmly replied. "The only way he will."

Violet had other plans. "I have another idea."

This was the moment Gretel was waiting for. "Oh, I was hoping you'd say that." When Violet tried to possess Manfred, Gretel's eyes went black as she held out her hand towards Violet and sent her ghost into her dead body.

"Gretel?" Manfred said worriedly. "What are you doing?" Gretel was in a trance and didn't answer as Manfred moved back in shock as Violet's ghost returned to her body and her body started to creak and groan as she stood.

Violet head tilted to the side with a crack and opened her mouth to speak but the voice came from Gretel's mouth, "Daddy."

Hightower stood in awe – he could hardly believe what was happening. "Violet?"

Violet groaned as she shuffled herself towards him, her words coming from Gretel again. "My entire life, you controlled me. Forced me to do what you wanted." Her body continued to shuffle around Hightower as her words came from Gretel, still. "Tried to marry me off like chattel!"

Gretel's voice started to break like she was crying Violet's words. "I never mattered. I was always a means to an end!."

Hightower spoke softly to Violet. "No…no…I…I am sorry. If I could do it again.."

"You can't!" Violet, through Gretel, shouted. "But I can. I killed the wrong person that night." Violet's body lunged at Hightower with an unearthly scream as her hand gripped his neck and squeezed with inhuman strength.

"Violet, stop!" Manfred shouted at her then went over to Gretel and try to break the link. "Gretel, this is enough. Listen to me, don't let her use you." He wasn't getting very far with this. "Gretel, I'm done with people dying…aren't you?"

With those words, Gretel gasped and collapsed against Manfred as her eyes returned to normal. Violet's body dropped to the floor as her ghost smoked out of it. "Freddie?" Gretel said weakly as she clung to him.

"Shh," he said softly then teased, "lectures later." Manfred kissed the top of Gretel's head then looked to Hightower. "Violet's gone. She said what she wanted you to know. Her spirit's moved on."

Hightower rose to his feet in heartbreak and anger. "You promised me peace!"

Manfred genuinely felt bad for him. "I know. I'm sorry."

"So am I," Hightower answered and used his power on the glass, making it crack and shatter.

Manfred dropped to ground, protecting Gretel as best he could from the glass and when it shot out from the panes the shards didn't go to them…they went straight into Hightower.

Gretel gasped when she saw this then said to Manfred in a trembling voice, "I want to go home."

Manfred scooped her up without another word and carried her outside to bring her home.

* * *

Gretel hadn't left her room for a couple days because of what happened with Hightower, what she did, and how she could have handled things better. If Gretel had her way she would have stayed in bed for all eternity but lifted her head when she heard the door open.

Marcus slowly entered her room asking quietly, "Gretel? What did I miss?"

Gretel just closed her eyes tight, holding back the tears. Marcus climbed into bed beside her and held her close as she sobbed, "I was a Mancer…and I _hated_ it. I felt _**everything**_ **.** I – I saw everything. It was worse than being possessed. I –I can't do that again. I can't…I can't."

Marcus didn't know what happened when he was gone but he was there now. He knew it wouldn't make things better but he pulled the Scorch dragon Beanie Baby from his pocket and set it down in front of her where she could see.

Gretel laughed weakly as she held it close before rolling over and leaning into his chest.

"I got you," Marcus said to her as she cried. "I got you."

Meanwhile, Creek stood with Manfred in the kitchen saying, "I'm surprised you're not the one she wanted," as she drank some coffee.

"I was the one she wanted," Manfred corrected, looking towards his sister's room, "but this time, I wasn't the one she _needed_."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 5


	6. A typical Tuesday in Midnight

Gretel fell asleep in Marcus' arms and waking up to find him there brought a smile to her face. More than that, she was actually able to bring herself to get out of bed. After carefully setting Scorch on her nightstand she went into the bathroom for a shower. With that done, Gretel wrapped a towel around herself and wiped the steam off the mirror.

Gretel plucked out her toothbrush and was about to put on the paste but suddenly she felt like she was going to be sick. Gretel coughed a few times before throwing up dead roaches over and over again. There were so many that the sink started to fill and overflow. Finally in a break, Gretel was able to scream before more poured out of her mouth.

Manfred, Marcus, and Creek who spent the night heard Gretel's scream and ran to the bathroom to check on her. "What the hell?" Manfred said aloud and went right over to his sister. When the roaches stopped coming, he guided her out of the bathroom and to the living room sofa.

Gretel was shaking like a leaf and looked pale as a ghost as Manfred wrapped a blanket around her before crouching in front, taking her hands in his. "Hey…You're okay now."

"What was that?" Creek asked, looking completely disgusted.

"Nothing good," Marcus stated the obvious as he looked into the bathroom and all the dead roaches.

"Something's coming, Freddie," Gretel whispered to her brother, clutching his hands tight. "Something's coming."

Gretel turned a trembling head over towards Marcus. "You feel it don't you?"

Marcus wasn't sure what she was referring to because he didn't feel anything more than the developing half of his Dragon side. "Feel what?" he asked, moving closer to her and gently placing his hand on her shoulder.

Gretel's eyes widened as she gasped before saying, " _Death_."

* * *

After that prediction, Gretel was practically catatonic so Creek helped her dress and now Gretel was laying down on the couch.

Manfred pulled Marcus aside, demanding to know, "Does this have something to do with her Mancer side?"

"I don't know," Marcus answered, truly not knowing. "I've only known Mancers to feel the effects of human death. That…" he pointed towards the bathroom, "is not normal."

None of this was normal, but Manfred didn't feel the need to point that out and popped another pain pill because of the headaches from seeing all the spirits around town more and more frequently.

"Did I do this to her?" Marcus asked, referring to the pills of hers he flushed. "Did her pills keep this from happening to her before somehow?"

"I've never seen anything like this happen to her before," Manfred replied. "And I never want to see it happen again."

Creek joined them then, saying, "Gretel is either asleep or passed out. Either way, she's unconscious but breathing." She pointed towards the door. "Look, I have to get to my shift at the restaurant. See you there for breakfast?"

Manfred nodded in a noncommittal manner and gave her a quick kiss before she left.

"I'll stay with her," Marcus offered. "And when she wakes up we'll meet up with you."

Manfred agreed with a heavy sigh. "Yeah, okay. Call me the second she wakes up. I mean it." Before leaving, Manfred went over to Gretel and kissed her head.

Marcus pulled the chair closer to the sofa and sat down, watching over her. He was in new territory here and didn't know what was coming for them. But if it was death then why didn't his Reaper half feel it? Perhaps it's because he doesn't sense it until it happens and Gretel…she can feel it before it does.

* * *

Gretel was out for awhile but she started to stir a bit where she lay. In her mind she was seeing flashes of fire, sand storms, and death. Finally it was so much that she jolted into a sitting position screaming out, "No!"

Marcus went right to her saying, "I got you. I'm right here."

"Where's Freddie?" she asked, looking around and not seeing her brother there.

"Looking for a missing girl," Marcus answered. "She came to town last night with some vandal kids and didn't make it home. The Midnighters are out looking for her."

"I should help them," Gretel said as she stood and started looking around for her shoes in an almost frantic way.

Marcus tried to reason with her. "Gretel, you've been through a lot. You need to rest."

"What I need is to be with my brother!" Gretel shouted back then rubbed her face with her hands. "Manfred and I are stronger together than we are apart. I know this and yet we keep getting separated and I – I can't keep letting that happen. I can't keep _making_ that happen." When Marcus tried to say something else to her, she held out her hand in a 'don't' way before saying, "Don't ask me to explain and just trust me. Alright?"

Marcus closed his mouth and nodded.

Gretel lowered her hand with a deep exhale. "Thank you. Now…where exactly is my brother?" She could see that he didn't know the answer to that so she grabbed the nearest pair of shoes she had, pulled them on and went outside to find him.

Gretel didn't have to go very far before spotting him down the road standing with Creek and the Rev. She ran towards him and he met her halfway saying, "We can't split up, Freddie. Never again."

Manfred hugged her saying, "You're stuck with me, sis. In life and death."

"Death is coming, Freddie. I can feel it." Gretel pulled back to look at him and say something else but a being in the distance caught her attention. "Is that a ghost or is someone out there?"

Manfred turned around but he wasn't the best person to ask because he saw spirits, too, but they both heard Creek call out, "Connor!" and saw her rush to him.

Manfred was about to join in helping them, but she held him back as Marcus went to help instead. "This has nothing to do with how I feel about Creek, Freddie, so please believe me. Connor and Creek…they reek of death. It radiates off of them."

"Gretel, I think tapping into your Mancer half is messing with you," he said to her calmly. "Let's get you home and we'll figure that out later." He didn't believe her, really, because he figured she was disoriented or something. That combined with her dislike for Creek, he thought just about anything would come out of her mouth.

Gretel let him lead her back home and didn't say anything when he called out for the others to bring Connor there too, but finally she did say, "Manfred, be careful with Creek. Please."

"She's not…you know," he replied, walking up the front steps with her to their house.

"I know," Gretel answered with a pale face and empty eyes, "she's worse."

* * *

Connor was brought into the house and Fiji checked him over. "He's disoriented. Likely a concussion," she informed them as Creek patched up his cuts and such.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Manfred asked as he walked into the bathroom.

"I – I went looking for the missing girl," Connor answered, almost like it was hard for him to remember, "and someone hit me from behind."

"Same thing that happened to Aubrey," Manfred said to Bobo, Fiji, and the others who stood just outside the room.

"Are you sure it was human?" Fiji asked, needing to know.

Creek, at her brother's side, asked, "What are you talking about?"

"What else could it be?" Bobo asked Fiji, wondering why she questioned Connor like that.

It wasn't Fiji who answered though, but Gretel. "A Demon…right?"

Fiji nodded in confirmation and suddenly there was a sharp knock at the door, making everyone present jump. "I called Lem," Marcus informed them and went to go answer the door.

As he did this, Fiji went over to Gretel and took her aside. "How did you know I was talking about a Demon?"

"I was there, remember," Gretel answered, crossing her arms. "I helped exorcise his ass."

Fiji knew this but there was more…she could tell. "What aren't you saying?"

"I feel something, Fiji," Gretel admitted. "There's something coming…or something already here…and…it's _**bad.**_ "

Their conversation was interrupted when Marcus said, "Lem can't come in, so can we take this to the Midnighter's Room or what?"

Fiji nodded in an 'alright' manner and was the first to leave the house with the others following.

* * *

In the Midnighter's room, Fiji told them how she'd been having visions of a Demon. "I'm telling you, there is a Demon. I've been hearing it in my house," she reiterated in her worried tone. "Manfred and Gretel saw it too, when I cleansed their place."

"We banished it back to the other side of the Veil," Manfred answered with his forehead resting in his hand.

"Shouldn't we be getting back to the girl?" Joe asked, wanting to stay on the matter at hand and not talk about Demons.

Gretel couldn't tell if her brother was worried or annoyed and that bothered her and it didn't sit well how Joe just wanted to ignore this. "Strange things have been happening here, Freddie," she said t her brother. "What if my…vomiting roaches have something to do with the Demon Fiji is talking about?"

"The Rev found a lot of dead bugs on Witchlight road," Olivia interjected. "Are you channeling that or something? Because…that's just disgusting."

Lemuel didn't say anything about that and stayed focused on the Demon. "Demons are malevolent beings not of this Earth. The attack on Connor was downright sloppy – very human."

Olivia didn't have a problem with that. "Which makes it very solvable."

"But that doesn't explain what's happening to Gretel, Fiji, and Manfred," Marcus interjected.

Gretel picked up from there. "I did a reading, you all know this, and…"

She was cut off when the Rev walked into the Midnighter's room. Bobo closed the door behind him saying, "Rev?"

"Emilio," he replied. "I'm not here as a man of God. I am here as a Midnighter and a friend. I'm doing something wrong for reasons I believe to be right, and I hope you will forgive me, but my conscience won't allow me to be silent any longer."

Lemuel got to his feet and approached his friend. "What's going on, Emilio?"

Emilio took a deep breath before answering. "You need to know that the Veil between Hell and Midnight is fraying. Evil energy is seeping out of the veil, affecting all of us and bringing out the darkness in us, as well as drawing evil to Midnight. Gretel was right when her cards said there would be Hell on Earth in Midnight – but I don't believe she realized how accurate that was."

"Why are we just hearing about this now?" Fiji asked, feeling a bit betrayed. "I came to you."

"I was protecting my source," Emilio answered.

"At my expense?" Fijij's voice was breaking. "There's a Demon in my _house_ , clawing me."

This was the first Bobo heard of that and he got very protective. "Wait, clawing you? Are you okay?"

Fijij looked to the Rev. "Am I?"

Emilio answered honestly. "I don't know."

"We should have paid more attention to Gretel's cards," Marcus stated. "She warned us about this already."

Manfred sighed as he got to his feet. "So there is a portal to Hell opening in Midnight, a girl missing, and cops about to swarm if we don't find her."

Gretel said the first thing that came to mind, "A typical Tuesday in Midnight."

* * *

While Lem and Manfred went to go look for the missing girl, Gretel was brought to the Pawn Shop to wait with the others. The voices were all bouncing around in her head from everything there and she felt like she was going insane. She couldn't understand why she was brought there and must have said it out loud because Olivia said, "We told Manfred we'd keep an eye on you in case anything…weird happened again."

"I should be out there with him," Gretel answered, trying to stand up but Olivia walked behind her and pressed down on her shoulders to make her sit again. "Seriously?"

"Do you not remember collapsing as you walked out of the Restaurant?" Olivia asked with a raised brow. "It wasn't until we brought you in here that you woke up again."

Gretel opened her mouth to refute that but she honestly didn't remember and looked at Marcus who nodded I confirmation. This made her drop her head in her hands. "What is going on with me?"

"The Veil is fraying," Marcus told her, hoping she'd find some comfort in that explanation. "It's nothing of your doing."

Before Gretel could say another word, Lemuel came into the back room of the Pawn Shop with Creek's father in his grip.

"We found him with the missing girl," Lemuel told the group as he forcefully set Creek's father into a chair.

"He's the one responsible?" Olivia asked, ready to get this settled.

"For Aubrey and the others?" Bobo asked, needing to know.

Lemuel snarled a bit as he said, "Yes."

Gretel got to her feet while Marcus and the others surrounded around Creek's father. She didn't feel death upon him – not like with Creek and Connor and then it hit her. He wasn't responsible for the deaths… _they_ were. Gretel knew no one would believe her because of precious Creek so she'd have to find the evidence herself. And while the others were distracted…that was exactly what she intended to do. So much for sticking with her brother...

* * *

Gretel went back to her house and walked into Manfred's room where Creek and Connor was talking. She clearly interrupted their conversation but she managed to catch something about leaving Midnight. "Going somewhere?"

"We can't be here," Creek asked, the epitome of a devastated daughter. "Our father went after all those girls and—and Aubrey." She looked away in tears.

"We want nothing to do with Midnight anymore," Connor interjected, comforting his sister.

Gretel had a bad feeling about this, as bad as the wafts of death radiating off of them but she didn't think Manfred or anyone else would believe her about their precious Creek so she said, "I could use a break myself. I'll drive."

Creek and Connor exchanged a look with each other before a wave of relief moved over Creek. "Really? You mean that? I'm in no state to drive."

Gretel nodded. "Get your stuff and let's go."

When Gretel walked out of the room Creek and Connor looked at each other with smirks before returning to the façade and grabbing what they had with them and following her out.

* * *

Manfred had discovered Connor's box of trophies from his victims but still had no connection to Creek with the murders. It was all believed to be Connor. He and Bobo went back to his house to find Creek and Connor both gone.

Marcus ran down the street as they exited the house and said, "I can't find Gretel anywhere and she's not answering my calls."

"Creek and Connor are gone, too," Manfred answered, really starting to worry now.

"There's no way Connor would be able to take both of them," Bobo interjected and finally Marcus spoke up.

"Are you both stupid? Gretel told you this morning that she felt death on Connor _and_ Creek, but you chose to ignore it!" His hands started to flame up a bit as he continued, "You're right, Bobo, Connor wouldn't be able to take both of them but Creek and Connor could easily take Gretel." The flames started to die down now before disappearing. "Gretel knew what they were doing and she didn't even realize it."

Manfred felt like his head was exploding. "Are you seriously telling me that you think Creek helped Connor kill those women? No way."

Marcus scoffed. "No wonder Gretel went off on her own. She knew you wouldn't believe her."

Bobo could tell that Manfred and Marcus were one sentence away from a fight so he said, "None of this is helping anyone. Look, we know for sure Connor is responsible and Creek and Gretel are both missing. Let's focus on finding them first and then place blame later."

When they returned to the Pawn Shop, they interrogated Creek and Connor's father. "Gretel is missing," Marcus said with fire in his eyes. "Where would they have taken her?"

"Where could Connor have taken her?" Manfred corrected.

He had his head down as he answered. "They. Connor wasn't acting alone – never did." He looked as if his heart was breaking. "At first…I – I thought it was just Connor. Started with the pets but then I caught Creek with him. They…they both took part. It made me sick but they both told me it was…fun. I – I took them to doctors but they wanted to put them away. I lost my wife I…I couldn't lose them, too."

Lemuel couldn't believe this. "You put our home in danger."

"I know," he answered, "I never meant for that to happen. I'm here because it's isolated. You all…you can protect yourselves from them."

"How about the ones who couldn't, hmm?" Bobo asked in anger. "Like Aubrey, Tiffany?"

"I tried to keep an eye on them," he replied with regret. "I found out about Aubrey too late. When I heard about the girl gone missing, I –I went out looking for her. I wanted to find her."

Manfred couldn't believe he'd been so blind. All this time he thought it was Gretel being jealous because he had someone in his life but it wasn't. She was truly trying to warn him and he didn't listen. "They have Gretel."

"They won't hurt her," he said to Manfred. "Creek, she—she wouldn't do anything to cause you pain, right?"

Manfred grabbed his shirt and pulled him close with flames dancing in his eyes. "Are you willing to bet her life on that?"

* * *

Gretel drove Connor's truck down the road in silence. It'd been silent for awhile but now Gretel asked, "Do you think your father started killing those girls after your mother died?"

"No," Connor answered, "I mean, I bet he didn't change. He was probably already wired differently."

Gretel was trying to push their buttons now. "Wired to kill innocent girls? That's insane."

"It's not insane," Creek defended with a scoff. "Besides, they weren't exactly innocent."

Connor was quick to elaborate. "Aubrey was a White Supremacist, the other girl was on the Vampire Bus – she was with the people trying to kill us."

Gretel shot them a bit of a look and pulled over on the side of the road.

"What are you doing?" Creek asked, looking at her.

"Are you defending your father or yourselves?" Gretel really should have thought this through because as soon as she asked that, Creek gripped the hair on the back of Gretel's head and smashed it forward into the steering wheel, rendering her unconscious.

"That's my part," Connor complained.

Creek rolled her eyes. "Just shut up and get in the driver's seat. We'll have our fun with her, don't you worry about that."

Connor did as she asked and got out of the car, pushed the unconscious Gretel into the middle seat as Creek moved to the passenger side, and got into the truck. After getting it into gear, he sped off.

Gretel's phone rang again along with Creek's, so Creek grabbed them both and threw them out the window. "That X-Files ringtone was driving me insane."

Connor simply chuckled and kept on going.

* * *

Back at the Pawn Shop, Manfred was definitely starting to freak out more. He blamed himself for Gretel being in this position and so many other things. Finally he went over to Marcus and asked, "Can you sense her anywhere? She's your Flame, isn't she?!"

"Maybe for a pure-blooded Dragon, but I'm not pure-blooded," Marcus explained. "Plus my link to her is weakened because of her Blood Pact with you. I can't pinpoint where she is. If I could don't you think I'd have done it by now?" he shot back.

"Then let's find her the old-fashioned way," Manfred replied and the pair of them walked out of the Shop with the others behind them.

"What are you doing to do?" Olivia asked as walked towards Manfred's house. "You gonna get into your RV and you on you bike and drive around everywhere?"

"It's better than waiting around and finding her body instead!" Marcus shouted back, feeling like he was losing it.

Olivia went over to Marcus and said calmly, "It's too much ground to cover."

Marcus thought of something then. "Not for me."

Lemuel had a suspicion of what he was going to do. "Don't do it, Marcus."

"Don't do what?" Manfred asked, and was answered when Marcus' body started to contort and a semi-transparent cloaked form of Marcus fell back and started floating in a horizontal position. What was left stand was Marcus with glowing red eyes, scales all over his person, wings and a tail. "What the hell?"

Marcus literally had to split himself in two in order to do what he needed to in order to find Gretel. He knew the risks if anything happened to one half of him while the other was active, but it was worth it. He turned around and screeched at Manfred before taking off into the sky, not knowing that Joe was planning on doing the same thing. After all…Joe was an Angel.

* * *

Gretel woke up with a groan and a muttered, "I'm going to make you dance on your own grave."

Creek was not bothered by her threat. She smiled at Gretel and moved some hair out of her face. "I would give anything to see Manfred's face when he finds your body and realizes he could have stopped it but didn't. He's not very bright in the Psychic department, is he?" Creek laughed when he pulled away from her touch, albeit weakly. "But not you – your Mancer felt it. I bet it thrived on it."

"How far should we go before we finish her off?" Connor asked, speeding around cars to get to wherever they were going even faster.

Creek was about to answer that but didn't get the chance because Joe appeared on the road in front of them and shot out a bright, pulsating light causing the truck to stop.

They all gasped at this and Connor looked at Creek, silently asking what to do.

"Run, and we'll meet up at our spot!" Creek shouted at him before getting out and running off in the opposite direction.

As they each ran, Gretel staggered to get out of the truck but Joe caught her before she fell right out of it. "You're alright now, Gretel."

"I told him," Gretel whispered. "I told him and he didn't believe me."

Joe saw she was on the verge of tears so he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her in a comforting manner as she cried.

Meanwhile, Creek ran as fast as she could and stopped with a scream when Marcus landed in front of her. "Marcus? It's not what you think! It's Connor, it's all Connor. I didn't do…" She wasn't able to get out another word before Marcus let out a roaring shriek and drove his scaled, clawed hand into her chest and ripped out her heart. Her heart quickly ignited before turning to ashes that he sprinkled over he dead body upon the ground.

Connor and Creek killed together and now they died together fore Lemuel snapped Connor's neck the exact same time as Marcus ripped Creek's heart from her chest.

* * *

With Creek and Connor's bodies in the back of the truck, Joe drove back to town with Lemuel and Gretel sitting in the middle of them as Marcus flew overhead.

Marcus landed before the truck came to a stop and rejoined with his Reaper half, allowing himself to be whole again and appearing as he always did. Before anyone could ask him anything, Joe pulled up the truck near the group.

Marcus was going to see Gretel who stayed in the car as the others got out, but Manfred stopped him with a look and went instead of him.

Manfred opened the door wider and looked in at his sister who had tears still streaming down her face. "Gretel?" When she didn't answer, he tried again. "Sis?"

Gretel slowly turned to look at him then. There was almost nothing behind her eyes as she asked, "They're dead, right?"

Manfred, who saw the bodies in the back of the truck, nodded. "Yeah, they're dead."

Gretel returned her gaze forward with a firm, " **Good** ," and nothing else.

* * *

Gretel refused to leave the house the following day and also refused to see Marcus as well. She didn't want to see anyone and if she could have gotten away with not seeing her brother as well, then she wouldn't have.

Manfred walked into the house after the ceremony Fiji performed for the victims with a thermos in his hand. He poured the contents into a mug and brought it over to Gretel who was curled up on the couch with her Bat Girl pajamas on and Scorch held to her chest. "Fiji said this would make you feel better," he offered her the cup as he sat down beside her.

"No," Gretel answered. "Not unless it makes me forget everything ."

Manfred sighed and set it on the table in front of her. "Gretel…"

"I told you, Freddie," she said quietly. "I told you and you didn't believe me. You were right, though…" she got to her feet and headed to her room saying, "She wasn't like Trisha. She was a million times worse." With her point made, she went into her room and slammed the door behind her.

Manfred let out a deep exhale before allowing himself to cry. His tears were for how he treated his sister, the rift he felt between them, and they were for Creek as well. At least…the Creek he thought he knew…and loved.

Once he let it all out, he wiped off his face and went to Gretel's door to do something he used to do when they were young and Gretel was upset. He sat down at the door and leaned against it, waiting for her to be ready to talk to him again or at least see him. Manfred didn't know it, but Gretel was on the other side sitting against the door, waiting for herself to be ready for the same thing.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 6


	7. Tick tock, fortune teller

Gretel had locked herself away in her room for a few days now. She'd only open up once she was sure Manfred wasn't there and take the tray of food he'd leave for her and then place the empty tray and whatever else she needed to do as long as he wasn't there. There were quite a few times that he was, but he stayed out of sight knowing, or at least feeling, that it was the right thing to do.

Now, Gretel felt the urge to get up and get dressed. She showered for the first time in days and put on her pair of black jeans, her Sixth Sense 'I see dead people' shirt, and black denim jacket accompanied by her black and white tennis shoes. This was far from her normal attire that usually consisted of leather and fishnet, but at least it was something.

Gretel went into the kitchen without a word and took some grapes from the fruit bowl next to her brother.

Manfred was really glad to see her up and about. "Coffee?"

"No," Gretel answered before popping a grape into her mouth.

"You never turn down coffee," he pointed out, extending a mug. "What better peace offering than the elixir of the gods?" When Gretel started to walk away, he stopped her. "Gretel, we haven't spoken in days. Please, talk to me."

"I've said all I've needed to say," Gretel answered, grabbing her bag.

Manfred scoffed, "You haven't said anything."

Gretel turned around slowly and looked at him incredulously. "If that's what you think then there's no point in speaking to you at all." She stopped herself from walking out the door yet, and it wasn't just because of the ghosts she saw out the window. There was something she had to say first. "I'm sorry."

Manfred thought this was a step forward so he said, "You don't have anything to be sorry for."

"Oh, but I do," Gretel answered. "I'm sorry that your girlfriend is dead and that turned out to be a serial killer."

Manfred couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not but didn't try to stop her as she walked out the house, slamming the door behind her.

As soon as Gretel walked off the porch, Marcus crossed the street to meet her. This made her say with snark, "I know I'm your Flame and all that, but that doesn't give you the right to stalk me."

"I wanted to see how you were," Marcus replied, even though it was clear she wasn't doing well at all. Everything was still bothering her and he couldn't hold that against her.

"I'm fine," Gretel lied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

"Where are you going?" Marcus asked, concerned as to what she was up to since she didn't have the best track record of staying out of dangerous situations.

Gretel held her hand up in a 'stop' fashion. "You care, I get it, but Marcus I swear if you don't give me some space I will hide your entire collection. Understood?" She didn't wait for his reply and continued on down the street towards the restaurant.

Marcus watched her for a few moments then headed up the porch steps to knock on the door. He was just about to do that but changed his mind. There was nothing he could think to say right now that would help Manfred, Gretel, or anyone else so he just turned back around and headed up to the roof of his building.

* * *

Gretel walked into the Restaurant and headed straight for the Midnighter's room. Seeing Fiji there made her smile a little. "Hey, pretty lady," she greeted as Fiji moved to hug her.

Fiji hugged her tight before asking, "How are you, Gretel? Really."

"I'm fine," Gretel lied and sat down at the table, placing her bag in front of her.

Fiji sat on the table beside her and raised a brow, telling her to spill it.

Gretel tried to ignore the look but caved – not before saying, "That better not be some Witchy mojo going on there." She sighed then. "I knew it, Fiji. I just _knew_ , but I didn't think anyone would believe me."

"Why would you think that?" Fiji asked, moving off the table into the chair.

"Because everyone in this town loved Creek. Everyone in this damned town thought she walked on water," Gretel practically spat back then took a deep breath. "But I'm over it, so can we please talk about something else?"

Fiji was about to answer that but her phone rang. "Hold that thought." She answered her call from Olivia. "Hey, what's going on? An emergency? What…okay, okay, yeah we'll be right there. Gretel is with me – did you call Marcus? See you soon."

As Fiji ended the call, Gretel asked, "What's going on?"

"There's someone new in Midnight so we have to get to Olivia's, like now." Fiji was pretty urgent in her tone so she didn't waste time and neither did Gretel as they got their stuff together and headed right out.

* * *

"Wait," Gretel said halfway to Olivia's place. "Where's Freddie?"

"I'm sure he'll be there," Fiji replied. "Come on," she urged.

"If there's something going on, I want to make sure Freddie's okay," Gretel wasn't going to budge on this – at least, she didn't want to.

Fiji took Gretel's hands saying, "Look, I don't know what's going on yet but we have to get to Olivia's. Don't you think Manfred would want you safe instead of looking for him? He might be there already anyhow."

Gretel wanted to refute that point but Fiji gave her one of her looks again. "Dammit, Sabrina," she said with a bit of a whine and kept on walking.

"That's right Cole Sear, get a move on," Fiji teased back as they walked.

Gretel was impressed with the reference and pointed at her in an 'that was awesome way' as they entered Olivia's building.

Fiji knocked on the door and Olivia answered a moment later. Seeing Bobo behind her made her say, "You're here?"

"Looks like everyone is here," Gretel pointed out as she walked in seeing Marcus, Chuy, Joe, and Lemuel awake in the daytime include. "What's going on?" she asked the room.

Joe was the one who answered, "I'll tell you all what's going on when everyone gets here."

Everyone was pretty much there except for the Rev and Manfred – something Gretel noticed. "Where's my brother?"

"He's on his way," Joe answered and saw the expression upon her face. "Don't worry, Gretel. He'll be here."

* * *

Gretel was starting to lose her patience because it'd been awhile and Manfred still hadn't shown up, when he finally walked in the door she went right over and punched him in the arm. "You're late," she seethed and walked away without another word.

"Sorry," Manfred replied, rubbing the sore spot on his arm. "She came to my RV."

"She didn't get into her head, did she?" Joe asked in reply.

"She did, but my Grandma was already there," Manfred answered. "There were too many thoughts, she didn't get much."

"You let _Grandma_ possess you?" Gretel shuddered a bit at that. "Not even going to go there."

"Please don't," Manfred pleaded.

Lemuel joined them saying, "Emilio still isn't picking up and I'm done waiting."

Joe looked at the group and sighed before joining Chuy's side. "Chuy and I need your help. There's an Angel named Bowie in Midnight, and she's hunting me."

Olivia almost laughed. "An Angel? We're scared of an Angel?"

"Well, Angels not only protect humans, they also kill Demons," Joe explained. "Bowie only liked the killing part of the job."

"You know her?" Bobo asked for clarification.

"Yeah," Joe confirmed. "She's a mentor and a friend. I walked away from that life without a word and I'm sure she's still angry and hurt and…wants me dead."

Manfred didn't get it, really. "So…she's mad because you left?"

"Leaving the Fold, being Fallen, she might've forgiven that." Joe moved closer to Chuy, saying, "But it's who I fell in love with, she can't forgive."

Fiji thought she understood. "Oh, a man?"

Joe chuckled along with Chuy and said, "Uh, no, not a man. Um…" he looked at Chuy for permission to say it and when given it he finished his thought, "A Demon."

"Plot twist," Gretel said from the arm of the sofa she sat herself upon. Everyone else in the room didn't seem quite so sure how to process the information – Marcus included. But Gretel…it didn't really bother her.

Joe went on to tell their story. "When I first saw him, it was in a marketplace where he was haggling with some pretty sketchy guys."

Chuy picked up from there. "Silk road traders. I wanted this porcelain. They asked for more than I had, so I left."

"And I followed," Joe continued, "saw the traders beating the crap out of him. So, I showed a little wing and scared them off. I went to help Chuy up and saw that he was covered in black blood."

"Demon blood," Lemuel interjected there.

Joe didn't stop the story there. "They not only beat him, they also stole his sandals. I asked him why he didn't just tear them apart, and he said maybe they needed the sandals more than he did. And that changed everything." He looked lovingly at Chuy before addressing the group. "Bowie told us we were superior, that Demons were evil, and Angels killing Demons was doing a service – Chuy disproved all of it."

"I still can't get over it," Bobo said as he looked at Chuy. "You're a Demon?"

"Half Demon," Chuy explained. "My mother was human."

"More Hybrids around here than I thought," Marcus said from his stance against the wall.

Fiji picked up from there asking, "Your parents, another forbidden love?"

"It wasn't love," Chuy replied then explained, "My mom and I were close. She taught me to control my Demonic side. She said that our connection would keep me strong." He looked to Joe. "Now I have this connection to keep me strong."

Fiji crossed her arms. "Yeah, but you should have told us."

"They're telling us now," Gretel defended. "The question is, are any of you actually going to listen?" Her words were pretty loaded there.

This was not the time to discuss what was bothering Gretel so he said, "Now there's an angry Angel in Midnight. They're Immortal – Fiji's right, this shouldn't be the first time we're hearing about this."

Manfred came to Joe's defense there. "Look, Joe saved Gretel. I'm willing to return the favor."

"Same," Marcus added in with a bow to his head in Joe's direction.

"Hell, I'm in," Gretel concurred. "You had me at 'Chuy's a Demon'." She waved a finger between them. "I ship you too hard to let you go without a fight." After they got a chuckle from that, Gretel asked, "So…how do we deal with Angels?"

Joe answered with, "Well, they're tough. Angels can read your mind, use your secrets against you."

"Great," Manfred muttered. "And they're immortal."

"Almost immortal," Joe corrected. "Humans can't kill an Angel, and I'm not tough enough to take on an Angel like Bowie."

"But Demons can, right?" Fiji asked, looking at Chuy.

Joe shook his head. "Oh that – that is not an option. Last time he changed, it took three years to get him back. If Chuy turns, we're all in danger."

"I can't," Chuy interjected. "I'm sorry."

"What about Dragons?" Bobo asked, looking at Marcus. "You were pretty damn scary the other night."

"That's also not an option," Lemuel answered for him. "Marcus has to split himself in two in order to access that power. One half is active and the other is, in a way, asleep."

Bobo looked confused. "How is that a big deal?"

"His inactive half can't defend itself," Olivia explained. "If anyone killed his inactive half…his active half would due as well. Marcus would die."

"Well, that explains why you were so protective of the hooded floating Marcus," Manfred interjected, remembering how Olivia wouldn't let anyone within ten feet of it.

"We're getting sidetracked here," Gretel firmly pointed out, and turned to Joe. "If we can't kill her, then what? Can we send her somewhere or something?"

Manfred figured he was on her thought train. "And send her to a place where there are Demons to take care of her. The mirror, during the exorcism, remember? It acted as a portal."

"To the other side of the Veil…" Gretel turned around to face her brother. "You're thinking we create a portal and send her through it?"

Manfred nodded, glad they were on the same page. "Exactly."

Bobo couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you suggesting we send an Angel to Hell?"

"Will that work?" Manfred asked Joe.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I think it just might."

* * *

While everyone was prepping things for the portal, Gretel grabbed her bag to leave. "Where are you going?" Marcus asked her, blocking her path.

"Don't you think it's weird that we haven't heard from the Rev?" Gretel shot back. "I'm going to check on him."

"There's an angry Angel out there and you're just going to take a stroll down to the Church?" Marcus couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"He's one of us," Gretel defended. "And I don't know about you, but I'm not one to leave someone behind. The Rev hasn't answered calls or called back just to say he was going to be late or whatever. I don't like it, so yeah, I'm going to take a 'stroll' down to the Church." She made air quotes around stroll.

Gretel pushed past him and let herself out of the apartment, taking the other set of stairs to bypass going through the Pawn Shop below.

Marcus knew this was a bad idea but instead of following her, he went down to the Shop to tell Manfred where she was going.

Joe was in the middle of telling Manfred about the Prophecy and how all signs pointed to him and Gretel being the one to close the Veil forever.

It was right after this that Marcus interjected. "Gretel left to find the Rev."

Manfred couldn't believe what he was hearing. "She did _what_?"

Meanwhile, Gretel made it to the Church without issue and found the Rev injured under a pile of wood. The Restaurant was closer than Olivia's so she brought him there. "Madonna, we need your nursing skills," she said as she walked in, to find a red haired woman with her hand on Madonna's forehead.

"Don't let her touch you," the Rev groaned in warning. "Go, run!"

Gretel tried to get out of there like a bat out of hell, but the woman – the Angel Bowie – stopped her.

"I saw you in the fortune teller's head," Bowie informed Gretel before placing her hand on her forehead to read her mind. Bowie was able to get quite a bit but for some reason she couldn't discover where Joe was. Finally it clicked and she grabbed Gretel in frustration. "Damn, Mancers."

Bowie grabbed Gretel and forced her into a chair and debated whether or not to try again. "Even for a half-breed your will is strong. You don't want me to find out where Joseph is, fine. Let's ask your brother, shall we?" She held out her hand for Gretel's phone. "Tick tock."

Gretel may have had tears streaming down her face but her eyes were like cold, blue steel. "I'm not doing anything to help you."

"Oh, yes you will," Bowie countered, "because if you don't I will start tearing off limbs and I don't think you want that on your conscience. After all…you already have so much death weighing you down."

Gretel took a deep, seething breath and pulled out her phone, handing it over to Bowie.

Bowie dialed Manfred's number and put it on speakerphone.

"Gretel, where are you? Are you alright?" Manfred asked from his end of the line.

"Oh, no, she's far from alright," Bowie answered. "Now where's Joseph?"

"I don't know," he replied.

"Well, you have thirty minutes to find out or I start killing people, starting with your precious baby sister." Bowie flicked some of Gretel's raven black hair.

"I got you, sis," Manfred assured her. "You're going to be alright."

Bowie was sick of this and was not playing around. "This has been a very frustrating day and this Restaurant is full of people. Tick tock, fortune teller and," she shouted her final words, " **Bring Joseph!** "

* * *

As they waited for the thirty minutes to be up, Bowie decided to have a little fun with Gretel. "You keep getting yourself into these situations, don't you? First you're so determined to not get separated from your brother and then 'poof!' that's _exactly_ what you do." She crouched down in front of Gretel and kept going. "You do it to yourself, you know. You're so determined to show your brother you're not that twelve year old girl anymore, and yet you keep proving that you are." She laughed then. "It's so pathetic, really."

Madonna came to Gretel's defense. "Leave her alone."

"I know where you got the money to pay for this place, so you just shut up!" Bowie shouted back at her before turning her attention to Gretel once again. After forcefully pulling Gretel to her feet, she guided her over to the window so they could have a little chat.

"You're all alone, you know. You don't even know who your real parents are," this made Bowie laugh all over again. "And your own brother, the only family you have left in the world, sided with his serial killer girlfriend over you. And it's not even the first time it's happened! Well, aside from the serial killer part." She draped her arm across Gretel's shoulders. "He'll never trust you, you know. All he will ever see is that twelve year old girl he swore to protect in life…and death."

The Rev didn't want Gretel to go through any more than she already had, so he tried to take the topic off her by asking Bowie, "You're Fallen, too, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Bowie answered, "I had some anger issues."

When Joe's voice from outside shouted out, "You want me? Come and get me!" Bowie added in, "And there's why." Bowie wrapped her arm around Gretel's neck and dragged her outside with her. When she saw Joe standing in the street, she said to her, "Ohhh, you know when you've waited so long for something and it finally happens? It's _so_ much sweeter than you ever imagined." No longer needing Gretel, she threw her aside.

"Since when did you start hurting humans?" Joe asked Bowie.

"She's hardly and a human," Bowie retorted. "But since you asked, since you started hiding behind them, Joe."

While they had their exchange, Marcus – with Olivia and Bobo – went to get and protect her. "Come on," Marcus said as he got her to her feet and brought her over to the others.

"Where's my brother?" Gretel asked, needing to know.

"Putting your plan into action," Marcus answered and Olivia regretted to say, "One that clearly failed."

She said this because Bowie had Manfred by the back of his coat and dragged him over to them.

"Gretel!" Bowie called out, "Don't you think it's about time you have a little heart to heart with Manfred, here?" She pouted and Manfred saying, "Oh, wait, she can't. Because she doesn't trust you anymore. After all, you didn't believe her about Trisha and you didn't believe her about Creek. She is _so pissed_ at you, my man. You're a Psychic and you couldn't even see that she was telling you the truth?" Bowie laughed wickedly. "You failed. You failed _her_."

Bowie wasn't able to say anything else because a strong force threw her away and Joe landed with his wings out where Bowie was standing. He wasn't going to let her get away with anything more and was damn well ready for a fight.

Bowie seemed to be ready for the same because she flew back at full force and the two of them took off into the sky fighting one another until they crash landed through the Church's ceiling.

Gretel was one of the first to take off running there and the others were soon to follow. When they arrived, Bowie threw a weakened Joe through the doors shouting, "You ever see an Angel die? It _really_ is something." Bowie was about to drive her glowing hand into Joe's chest but Chuy in his Demonic form ran over and lunged at her instead.

Chuy's fangs drove into Bowie's throat and she died in an explosion of light.

"We're running, now," Manfred said to sister, grabbing hold of her hand and hiding behind a nearby truck.

Marcus tried to hold Chuy back but his Demonic strength was too much and Marcus was thrown across the street, hitting the brick wall on impact.

"Please tell me there's a Plan B," Gretel said in a worried tone.

In reply, Manfred, with Gretel in tow, tried to use one of the artifacts on Chuy that Xylda bequeathed to him but…it didn't work.

"Plan C then!" Gretel shouted as they hid behind something else, but Chuy was right there, causing them both to cry out in surprise and perhaps a little fear.

Joe stopped Chuy before he hurt them and pinned him down with his glowing hand pressed into Chuy's chest. "I will kill you," he said in a breaking voice. "Don't make me. It would destroy me." As Chuy continued to hiss and snarl, Joe said, "You told me our connection made you strong. Please…"

That resonated with Chuy because he started to turn back into his human form and held onto Joe like his life depended upon in.

Gretel let out a deep breath of relief then ran to check on Marcus who was holding onto his ribs, but otherwise alright.

"You alright?" he asked her with pained groans.

Gretel nodded and was about to say that she was fine but ended up shaking her head with a teary, "No," instead.

Marcus cupped her face with his free hand, wishing he was the one who could fix this but he wasn't. "Talk to him," he urged, knowing that Gretel talking to her brother was the only thing that could even hope to mend things.

* * *

Pretty much everyone went back to the Restaurant to regroup before heading home. After Manfred agreed to bring Gretel by the Studio later to talk, he took a bottle of whiskey with a couple of glasses and sat across from Gretel at her table. "Marcus go home?"

"Yeah," Gretel answered, gesturing to the glasses. "One of those for me?"

"Would they be for anyone else?" Manfred asked with a smile and poured her one. He waited until Gretel took a drink before saying anything. "I'm so sorry, Gretel. I – I can't even explain why I did it. I just…"

"I'm your burden," Gretel finished for him, ignoring the surprised look on his face.

"It's nothing like that," Manfred couldn't make himself any clearer than that.

"You were going to marry _her_ because you didn't believe me and I warned you about Creek and you didn't believe me," Gretel pointed out. "You don't want to hear anything bad about _anything_ that could give you a life away from me. That's the only explanation."

Manfred shook his head and refuted. "Gretel, no. You will always have an important part in my life and death. We made a pact and I'm never going back on that." He could see that she didn't believe him so he sighed and told her. "I – I didn't want to be alone. You were serious with Declan when I met Trisha and now you have Marcus – who is apparently your soulmate or whatever. You're so worried that I'm going to leave you behind, but Gretel…it's _me_ who's terrified that you're going to leave."

Gretel opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't find the words. Instead, she just looked at her brother with a weak, "Okay."

Manfred chuckled at that because it reminded him of the first time Xylda told them about the family trait of being Psychics and the power and all that. Manfred had so much to say but Gretel just simply said 'okay' and moved on. He wondered if it was going to be the same thing now so he smiled at his sister and repeated her word. "Okay."

* * *

After getting some sleep, Manfred and Gretel went to Joe's studio where he showed them the painting of what Earth would be like if the Veil broke completely. "I knew it was going to be bad but…I don't think I quite pictured it like this," Gretel admitted as she looked at the depiction of Hell on Earth.

Joe came in then with cups of coffee for them all and Manfred asked, "If Chuy is only half Demon, then what happens when the Veil opens?"

Joe's answer was simple. He gestured to the painting they were looking at. "That."

Manfred let out a deep breath. "You still believe that Gretel and I can do something to fix this?"

Joe nodded. "Yes. And, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure Gretel believes it too. I think you both are going to lead an army and seal the Veil forever."

"I don't lead armies," Manfred sighed. "I see dead soldiers after it's too late. I couldn't stop Bowie. I couldn't stop Chuy."

"But you're not alone in this, Freddie." Gretel placed her hand on his shoulder. "Maybe this is something we can't do alone, but we have each other. I promise I'll try to do better with sticking with you instead going on solo-missions if it'll get you to believe that." She turned his face so they were looking eye to eye. "We're stronger together. I think I forgot that for a minute there, but I'm not going to forget again."

Joe interjected there. "You both arrived in Midnight exactly when we needed you. You're both going to close the Veil, I know it."

"Damn right we will," Gretel said with conviction. "Or we'll die trying."

As soon as Manfred heard that, he made a quick decision. Him dying to protect Gretel and everyone else, he could get alright with that but the other way around? – Gretel dying – not an option.

They went home after leaving the Studio and Manfred went to make some more coffee for them as Gretel sat on the couch. "We're, good, right? I mean…you know?"

"We've never been ones to spill our guts to each other," Manfred said from the kitchen, looking over his shoulder to make sure Gretel couldn't see that he was putting something into her mug. "So yeah, we're good."

"Ever think that's something we should work on?" Gretel asked as he joined her in the living room and accepted the mug.

"Not today," Manfred said with a chuckle and watched as Gretel drank her mug in entirety.

"You know," Gretel began to say as she set the empty mug down, "I've been thinking about…" she didn't get a chance to finish her thought because her head started to feel weird. "Whoa…what…"

"You rest now," Manfred said to her, making sure she stayed seated. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you – not again."

Gretel felt herself growing sleepy but she managed to say, "You put something in my coffee?"

"Of course I did," Manfred replied like it was nothing then said seriously, "You're not dying on my watch."

Once Gretel fell asleep, he quickly packed a bag for her and himself, tossed those into the RV and carried her into it as well.

"What are you doing?" Xylda asked as he saw Manfred lay Gretel down on the bed in the back before starting up the RV.

"We're getting out of here," Manfred replied as he started to drive.

"You're leaving Midnight? What about your roots and Gretel's? You were making a home, Manfred," Xylda tried to get him to see reason.

"A home that she might have to die to protect," Manfred shouted back. "I'm not going to put Gretel in danger anymore. I won't do it."

Xylda sighed as she looked at sleeping Gretel, figuring that her granddaughter had no idea what was going on. "You can't protect her forever, Manny."

Manfred knew that. "You're probably right, but I'm damn well going to protect her today."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 7


	8. Stop sleeping in, you ninnies

Gretel woke up in the back of the RV with no idea how long she'd been out. "Manfred!" she screeched like she was about to kill him – which was something she had actually considered in that moment. Even as the RV drove down the road to Manfred knows where, Gretel got off the little bed and walked towards the front. "Manfred Bernardo I am going to rip your head off for doing that to me!"

"As long as it's the one attached to my shoulders, I'll deal," Manfred replied sarcastically, not taking his eyes off the road.

Gretel sat down in the passenger seat with eyes almost like blue fire. "Why the hell did you do that to me?! Spill it, **now**."

"I'm getting us out of Midnight." He waved his hand towards the road. "Or was that not obvious? And Xylda already jumped down my throat about this so I don't need you doing it, too."

"You spiked my coffee and you think I'm going to jump down your throat about leaving Midnight?!" Gretel was just about to rip into him for what he'd done and then it _really_ clicked what he said – they left Midnight. This made her change topics real quick. "Manfred, you can't be serious. Midnight is our _**home**_. They need us!" Gretel couldn't figure out what was going through that head of his.

"I loved her, Gretel. I loved her and I trusted her and you almost died _again_ because I didn't listen to you." Manfred couldn't even bring himself to look at her at that moment. "I'm listening now and I heard what you said." Manfred turned to look at her for a moment. "Close the Veil or die trying – not going to happen. Not as long as I'm around."

Gretel rubbed her face with her hands and a loud groan. " _Now_ you decide to listen to me?! Dammit, Manfred, this is what we're supposed to do with our lives! This is our destiny!"

"If it was me, fine, but your destiny is _not_ going to be to die," Manfred forcefully retorted. "I don't care about Grandma's vision or Joe's prophecy. I'm going to protect you from anything that might kill you in Midnight."

Gretel threw her hands up saying, "You go all overprotective brother on me _now_?"

"Better late than never," was all he had to say about that and kept on driving, still reeling over the conversation he had with Xylda that she had a vision before she died about how he and Gretel were the ones to save Midnight and _that's_ why she sent them there – not because they would be safe.

Gretel was quiet for a little while before asking, "What about Marcus? You just ripped me away from him and we're still trying to figure out what we mean to each other."

"I'm sorry," Manfred truly meant that – at least where Marcus was concerned. "But this is for the best."

Gretel was so outraged that she couldn't even think so she slouched down in her seat with crossed arms, trying to think of _something_ that would get her brother to change his mind.

* * *

Marcus went into the back room of the Restaurant to meet Olivia there. "Any news?" he asked, taking a seat across from in the Midnighter's room.

"If you're asking about Manfred and Gretel, no," Olivia replied with an annoyed sigh. "They bailed on us, Marcus. You should just let it go."

"I'm not going to let it go," Marcus answered with a bit of ferocity as his eyes flickered with the fire within. "Gretel never would have left without saying anything. And she wouldn't have left this behind." He slammed down the Scorch Beanie Baby on the table in front of him with some emphasis.

"You gave her this one?" Olivia asked, picking it up from the table. It was the same one she'd given him for his birthday, but that wasn't he point – it was a big thing for a Dragon to share their hoard, their _collection._

Marcus could see the wheels turning inside Olivia's head and knew she understood. "She's that important to me and I know I'm that important to her."

Olivia slid Scorch back as she said, "Maybe brother trumps Flame." She regretted saying it, but it had to be said. "Did you ever think of that?"

Marcus put Scorch back into the inner pocket of his leather jacket as he answered, "You forget, they have a Blood Pact." He explained before standing and walking out of the room, "A little Flame lives in Manfred, too."

* * *

The road stretched ahead of them as Manfred continued to drive. He didn't look to well and that was making her worry about him. "What aren't you telling me?"

"He's out of pills," Xylda replied from the sofa behind them. "Took the last of them on the first stretch out of Midnight."

"Are you seriously going through withdrawal right now?" Gretel moved closer to him in order to get a better look. "Oh my god, you are! Manfred, the last time you tried cold turkey you were sick for days!"

"You weren't when Marcus flushed yours," he countered, doing his best to keep steady.

"Different pills and with all the other crap I've been through, I don't think I'd notice any withdrawal." Gretel added in a casual way, "Or were the vomiting roaches not enough of a clue?"

"You're not going to get him to change his mind," Xylda sighed. "He's stubborn and pigheaded."

"Like someone else I know." Gretel wasn't just referring to Xylda but herself as well. She wasn't about to give up, though. "Tell me you don't feel the pull back to Midnight and I'll leave you alone. And I'm _not_ talking about the Veil pull." When he shot her a look she put it into words. "Tell me you don't feel the pull back to _Marcus_ , and I'll leave you alone."

"He's not my Flame," Manfred scoffed with a shake of his head, trying to keep himself together.

"My blood is in you, Freddie," Gretel replied, moving back to her seat. "He'll always be a little of your Flame, too."

Before Manfred could say anything the RV started smoking and the engine dying because there was no water in the tank. He pulled over to the side of the road and shouted because they were essentially in the middle of nowhere with no cell service to boot.

"Guess you didn't think this plan through very well, huh?" Gretel asked, sounding almost as if she was laughing.

"You think this is funny?" he shot back at her. "It's not. We have no food, no water, and…"

"No pills?" Xylda and Gretel said in unison.

"Why aren't you being affected as badly as I am?" Manfred asked Gretel in an almost accusatory manner.

"I feel it, Freddie," Gretel replied, "I just happen to feel it differently than you do."

Manfred sat down in the driver's seat with a heavy sigh. "There was a gas station a ways back."

Gretel looked at him like he was nuts. " _Where_ was there a gas station?"

"Four hours back ago," Xylda answered.

"Then I better get walking." And without another word, Manfred got up to leave the RV.

Gretel turned back to her grandmother with a 'what now?' expression on her face.

"Well, don't just sit there," Xylda said to her with a wave of her hand towards the door, "go after him!"

So…she did.

* * *

Gretel and Manfred walked for a long time in silence down the road. Finally, Gretel had enough of this. "Are you going to say anything, Freddie?"

Manfred stopped to get his breath and only said, "As the crow flies," before moving off the road and into the land.

"We are so going to get lost!" Gretel shouted then groaned, not about to be left alone, and went after him.

They walked well into the night and finally both Manfred and Gretel collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Manfred was the first to fall and Gretel landed right beside him, her head on his stomach. "I'm going back, Freddie. With or without you…I'm going back to Midnight."

"I'm not going to let you die," Manfred answered weakly before closing his eyes.

"Everyone dies eventually," Gretel replied. "It's how you live that matters."

She too fell asleep but was awakened by their Grandmother's voices. "Stop sleeping in you ninnies," she scolded them. "There's work to do."

They both groaned into a sitting position and listened to what Xylda had to say. "You both need to listen to me. Right before I died I had a vision – one that doesn't happen very often. Midnight was in flames, people dying all around, and the two of you at the center to stop it all. I didn't see how but…you're powerful. You both are. I – I should have taught you both how to use that power, not make you hide it. The spirits will listen to you." She stood up and pulled them both to their feet along with her. "Stick together and you'll be unstoppable."

"I could die," Manfred replied, then with a breaking voice added in, "Gretel could die."

"Everyone dies eventually, Manny," Xylda softly answered. "It's how you live that matters."

Hearing Xylda repeat Gretel's words, who were Xylda's to begin with, resonated with Manfred. He knew they were right and even with the risk…saving Midnight was their destiny.

Gretel didn't understand something. "How are you here, Grandma? You're tethered to the RV."

"Not anymore," Xylda smiled. "I did what was I meant to do and now I can move on." She saw lights coming from the nearby road and said, "And now you both can, too."

Neither Gretel nor Manfred were ready to say goodbye. "No," they said in almost perfect unison.

"We said goodbye during the cancer year, no go," she urged them and watched as they took off for the road.

"Hey! Hey!" they called out and when the truck stopped, they looked back to see Xylda was no longer there.

Gretel was the first to get into the truck with Manfred right behind her. As the driver took off again, Manfred said, "We appreciate you stopping."

"You're both a long ways from nowhere," the driver replied. "I'm heading west."

"Great," Gretel answered. "Exactly where we need to go." She shivered then because she was hit with a wave of death and Manfred got a feeling of his own. They both turned around and looked through the window into the back part of the truck and saw a collection of ghosts with their faces peeled off. The Bernardo siblings exchanged silent looks with each other before turning forward, acting like they hadn't seen a thing.

Manfred was the first to speak though. "So, um, are you religious?"

"I have faith," the driver replied. "Not like those fools on the radio. Paradise isn't heaven. They're looking in the wrong direction."

"The last I checked, the other direction's Hell," Gretel interjected.

The driver laughed, "You say potato," and kept on chuckling. "Oh, a new world's gonna emerge out of the ashes of the old one. A world where we find pleasure in pain, joy in suffering."

"That's an interesting faith." Manfred looked at Gretel to see if she was thinking what he was and based off the look in her eye – they were on the same thought train.

"Oh, it's more than faith," the driver replied with pride. "I am here to help him rise. The one who will usher in the beginning of the end."

"Let us guess," Gretel spoke for herself and for her brother. "This is all going down in Midnight, Texas, right?"

The driver looked at them surprised. "How did you know?"

"We just know," Gretel answered and Manfred continued on from there saying, "And we also know that you're only telling us this because you're planning to kill us and rip our faces off."

The driver looked at them both. "You do have nice faces." He reached for Gretel and shouted out when she drove a small knife into his arm and clawed at his face to rip off the one he was wearing. This made the driver swerve before stopping, giving Manfred and Gretel time to tuck and roll out of the big truck.

After hitting the ground they quickly got to their feet as Manfred asked, "Since when did you start carrying around a knife?"

"Since Olivia gave me one." They didn't stick around for further conversation because the loud Demonic voice shouting, "Get back here!" kicked them into gear. "Trust me," Gretel said to her brother and grabbed his hand, running back to the truck.

Manfred followed his sister's lead and climbed up the ladder on the back of the truck, quickly catching onto his sister's plan. They laid down on top of the pile of bodies – out of sight of the Demon – and waited until the truck started moving again, which it did.

Gretel closed her eyes and did everything she could to keep herself in check but all this death – she was absorbing it all into herself until finally she sat up with a gasp as her eyes went white.

Manfred saw this and tried to get through to his sister because the bodies were all starting to animate. "Gretel…Gretel, stop! They don't control you – you control them."

Gretel's eyes returned to normal with a gasp and all the bodies returned to being the deadweight they were. "What…how…"

"We're stronger together than we are apart," was all he had to say about that.

Gretel had no argument there.

* * *

Marcus didn't care how late it was, he went into the Pawn Shop and started tearing it apart for something he could add to his collection. His Dragon hoarding was kicked into high gear and if a new addition wasn't made then things would not go well.

As he went through the shelves for anything that could suffice – if even temporary – he blamed this compulsion on the Veil. That could be a part of it but it was doubtful that was all—It was Gretel. It had to be. He found his Flame and now she was gone and for a Dragon that was a hard thing to go through. Marcus saw his mother go through it and it resulted in her death.

Marcus tried not to think about Gretel, and Manfred for taking her away from him. And also…a part of him felt Manfred's missing presence as well. Thanks to the Blood Pact between the Bernardo siblings, Marcus would be bound to them both until death.

It was these thoughts that made Marcus realize neither Olivia or Lem were taking charge of the Shop even though it was open. This realization pulled him away from his compulsion and he headed to the back stairs that led to Olivia's apartment. Something wasn't right – he could feel it.

When he arrived at the apartment, the door had clearly been kicked in by a strong force. "Olivia?" he called out and was answered by her shouting out, "Back off!" That clearly wasn't directed to him so he ran towards the voice and found Olivia in the bath tub with Lemuel Vamped out moving towards her.

Marcus quickly got between them, holding his hand out towards Lemuel. "Father, this isn't you! This is the Veil –fight it!"

"Step aside, Son," Lemuel hissed. "Olivia needs to understand that I am doing this because I love her."

"Turning me again my will isn't love!" Olivia all but cried out. "It's the Veil to Hell making you this way!"

"Once you turn, you'll like it," Lem forcefully replied, taking a step forward.

Marcus wasn't going to let anything happen to Olivia and if that meant incapacitating Lemuel for a time, then so be it. "You want to get to her, you're going to have to get through me," he this said firmly as his hands ignited in flames going up to the elbow.

Lemuel snarled at Marcus and was about to attack but Fiji ran in saying, "Lem!" and when he turned around, she splashed him with her concoction to keep those who've taken it from feeling the effects of the Veil.

Once the potion made contact, Lemuel was returned to normal and immediately regretting his actions. That feeling was all over his face as he looked at Olivia and tried to apologize, but she'd have none of it.

Since Marcus was there, Fiji used the opportunity to splash him as well and instantly he felt his compulsion ease.

Fiji looked around and knew that something horrible had happened or was about to happen if she didn't get there when she did, but they couldn't focus on this now. "I am so sorry but we can't deal with this now. Manfred and Gretel are back and they're trying to stop a Demon from making a sacrifice."

* * *

When Manfred and Gretel arrived back in Midnight, they were dumped into the street along with all the other bodies. As soon as the Demon walked away, Gretel muttered, "Hello, Midnight," as they emerged from the pile and hurried off to tell Fiji what was going on. With that done, they returned to their home to get something they might need.

"Think your Tea Party friends will be of any help?" Manfred asked as he opened a chest and pulled out an artifact – one of the few he didn't sell to Bobo for money needed for Hightower.

"Not this time," Gretel answered honestly as she came out of her room with a lock of hair in her hands that she was tying around her bracelet. "This time, it's all Bernardo."

Manfred wasn't going to object to that and quickly went outside in time to find the others heading towards the pile of torn-face bodies the Faceless Demon was pouring lighter fluid upon. No words were exchanged as they joined the group.

As the Faceless Demon raised the lighter above his head to make the gift of the sacrifice, Lemuel sped forward and grabbed it from him as Bobo, Olivia, and Marcus held him at bay.

Gretel and Manfred stood in front of the Demon. Manfred was the first to speak. "There isn't going to be a funeral pyre today."

"Or a human sacrifice or whatever the hell you think this is," Gretel added in with a firm finger pointed at the Demon.

The Demon caught sight of Fiji and spoke to her. "You're Fiji."

"You don't talk to her!" Bobo shouted, really wishing he was capable of killing the Demon himself.

The Demon ignored his words. "When he rises, you will be his."

This caught Fiji's attention. "Whose?" she shouted. "Who are you talking about?!"

"Colconnar," the Demon answered, "he's chosen you."

"Fiji, don't listen to him," Manfred said to her as he and Gretel pulled her away from the Demon.

Fiji pulled herself from their grasps then just as quickly held onto them because she heard Colconnar say her name. "I hear him," she informed the others fearfully.

The sound of cracking asphalt behind them made the group turn their attention to the pile of bodies. Hellfire sprouted up through the cracks and ignited the pyre.

Marcus quickly let go of the Demon and pulled the fire towards himself in order to absorb it and keep the sacrifice from being made, but he had never dealt with Hellfire before. Absorbing this made Marcus cry out in agony and he had to stop because he felt as if he was being burned from the inside out – something he had _never_ felt before in his entire existence.

While they were distracted, the Demon pushed off those who held him and grabbed hold of Fiji, holding her tight. "It won't be long now," he said to her. "He will rise and he will take you as his!"

Manfred quickly took Gretel's hand and with a silent look, let her know the plan. Manfred started by saying, "Spirits who hear her, help us. Don't let this monster kill anyone else."

With these pleads the spirits of those from the pyre emerged and started to take form.

Gretel picked up from there because it was working. "End this, spirits. Take hold of this Demon and drag him back to hell!"

Manfred and Gretel's hands started to glow and in unison they shouted together to the spirits, "Toss him in there!"

The spirits grabbed hold of the Demon, causing him to release his grip on Fiji, and pulled him into the fire.

"You can't stop this!" the Demon shouted at them. "You're too late. Kill me, but he will rise!"

The spirits pulled the Demon into the pit and once they did, they all disappeared and the road closed up as if nothing ever happened there.

Olivia, who was helping Marcus up from his knees, asked, "How did you two do that?" Because she was totally awed and perhaps a little freaked out.

"Old trick we used to do," Gretel replied, and didn't care to elaborate. Once Marcus was on his feet, she went right over and threw her arms around him.

Marcus let out a breath of relief, feeling complete again, and hugged her in return.

Manfred hated to interrupt this but something had to be said. "This didn't stop him. The sacrifice was made."

Gretel went over to her brother and held out her hand like they were about to arm wrestle. "Protect Midnight, live or die?"

Manfred nodded to let her know he was on board but his eyes still made it clear he didn't like it, but he accepted it. "Because everyone dies eventually," he clasped her hand in hers before finishing, "it's how we live that matters."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 8


	9. Oh hell - literally

It was pretty late when Gretel walked into her bedroom wearing only an oversized tee-shirt and a pair of underwear. Seeing shirtless Marcus lying on her bed made her feel happy so she jumped on the bed, landing next to Marcus, with a smile upon her face. "You know, we really should have done this sooner," she grinned. "You are the best horizontal hula partner I've ever had."

Gretel was grinning to no end, thinking Marcus would also get a kick out of what she was saying, but his face was hard – distant. "What's up?"

"We never should have done this," Marcus answered without looking at her and started to get out of the bed.

Gretel took offense to that and grabbed hold of his arm to stop him with a "Hey!" but when she touched him then, she felt something off. Gretel didn't feel it before but she did now. She felt in her gut what it meant but didn't want to accept it. " _ **Marcus…**_ _"_ her tone made it clear that she wanted answers and wanted them now.

Marcus had her back to her but turned around to face her then. "I'm dying. My Reaper half has been blocking you from feeling it but I'm so tired."

Gretel **refused** to believe what he was saying. "You're immortal. How – how are you dying? What are you talking about?!"

"I tried to stop the sacrifice," he replied, turning more to see her better. "Hellfire can kill anything…even a Dragon." Seeing the look on her face broke his heart. "I'm so sorry, Gretel."

Gretel shook her head, not accepting this. "You're not dying. I won't let you."

Marcus held her close, saying softly, "You can't stop it."

"I'm a Mancer," Gretel retorted. "Like hell I can't."

Marcus pulled back and looked at her seriously. " **No**. Swear to me, Gretel, no matter what happens…you will not turn me into a Revenant. I will not live my life like that – not dead, not alive – I wont."

"I can't lose you." Gretel cried as she looked into his eyes.

Marcus wiped a tear away saying, "It's like you said…Everyone dies eventually, it how we live that matters. And I intend to live out my last moments with you…if you'll have me."

Gretel answered that but kissing him deeply. When their lips parted she whispered, "Always."

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of Fiji's voice shouting something outside. They looked at each other in agreement to go check that out and quickly pulled on some clothes before rushing outside.

Fiji was outside shouting to someone who wasn't there. Gretel thought she was sleepwalking. "Fiji, wake up," Gretel said to her as she approached then screamed when Fiji raised her hands and fire shot out of them.

Marcus quickly got in front of Gretel and took the fire into himself to keep her from getting hurt. He didn't move from blocking her until Lem rushed over and stopped Fiji from using her magic.

"Marcus!" Gretel held him as best as she could to keep him from dropping to the ground. Thankfully Manfred came over to help her support him up before Lemuel took over.

"What's happened, Son?" Lemuel was clearly concerned for his wellbeing.

"Magical fire is different," Marcus answered, gaining his strength back. "I'll be fine."

Gretel wanted to tell Lemuel the truth but the look in Marcus' eyes kept her from doing it, so she went over to Fiji to check on her.

"Did I hurt him?" Fiji asked worriedly. "Is he alright?"

"He's alright," Gretel lied. "What about you? Were you sleepwalking?"

Fiji looked fearful as she shook her head. "No…it was real."

No one else was able to say a word because the sound of an oncoming vehicle pulled their attention away.

A '67 yellow Mustang Convertible parked near where they stood and a young woman got out who bore a striking resemble to Fiji.

When Fiji saw her she gasped, "Gwen?" She almost couldn't believe her eyes.

"Hey, Cuz," Gwen replied as she approached with her arms extended a bit in question. "So…what did I miss?"

* * *

They got Fiji back to her house before questioning her for specifics. As Gretel wrapped a blanket around Fiji's shoulders, Fiji looked over at her cousin. "What are you doing here? You said you'd never come back to Midnight."

"I had a vision about you, Cuz," Gwen answered, taking a seat on the sofa beside her. "No matter how much I hate this town, I wasn't going to leave you to deal with whatever this is alone."

"What was the vision?" Fiji asked, despite a part of her not wanting to know. If it was enough that it made Gwen come home…it must not be very good.

Gwen looked around the room at all the people there to support Fiji and answered a bit hesitantly, "I think I'll spare you the details." Meaning that she didn't want to share them in front of all those people.

While the cousins were catching up, Manfred brought Gretel to the far side of the room to ask, "What's going on with Marcus? I get this weird feeling that something is off."

Gretel rubbed her arms and didn't answer him right off. "I can't tell you right now. But…it's bad, Manfred. It's really bad."

Manfred wasn't going to push her for details so he gave her arm a supportive squeeze before going over to Fiji to ask her what happened. "Fiji…the man you saw in your dream…"

"Colconnar sent him," she answered.

"While you were sleepwalking," Manfred continued, "you kept yelling 'stop saying that'. Stop saying what?"

Fiji took a moment to answer. "He said I'd give myself to Colconnar."

"That's not going to happen," Bobo assured her, because he'd stop that from happening if it was the last thing he ever did.

"Colconnar is the Demon, right?" Gwen asked, looking at her cousin.

When Fiji nodded, Gretel asked, "Why is he after you? What does he want?"

"I don't know," Fiji answered quietly, "but I know I don't want anybody else getting hurt because of me."

"Marcus is going to be fine," Bobo said to her, hoping she'd find some comfort in that.

Gwen clearly had a lot to catch up on, but she had a feeling that it wasn't this Marcus that Fiji was worried about.

Manfred sat on the other side of Fiji to ask, "This man in your dream, did he say anything else?"

Fiji shook her head with a quiet, "No," before getting up saying, "I'm going to make some tea."

"I'll come with you." Gwen got up and followed her cousin into the kitchen. Once they were in there, she said, "Fiji…You need to tell me _everything_."

* * *

After Lemuel came in and leeched off Fiji's pain, Gwen sat down to talk with her again. "You should have called me the _second_ there was a Demon involved."

"You're the one who left and said you'd never come back," Fiji retorted as she sat down at the table with tea.

Gwen sighed as she poured some sugar into her cup. "I left Midnight behind. I didn't leave _you_ behind."

"No? You certainly left Aunt Mildred." Fiji was clearly still bitter about that.

"She had her shining star," Gwen shot back. "Aunt Mildred taught me everything I knew and then you came and…" She took a deep breath and swept it away. "I'm not going to get into this. Not when there's far more important stuff to deal with." Before Fiji could say anything about…well…anything, Gwen said, "It's because you're a virgin, right? That's why he wants you?"

"How did you know I was still a virgin?" Fiji gasped, clearly embarrassed by this topic of conversation.

"It was a guess." Gwen took a cookie off the tray and bit into it before adding in. "After meeting that – Bobo, was it? – I wasn't too sure if you got a little something-something."

Fiji pulled her wrap around tighter. "Bobo and I aren't like that."

"So…you wouldn't mind if he and I got like that?" Gwen laughed at the wide-eyed expression on her cousin's face. "Just kidding. Besides, he doesn't look like my type. Now that spikey haired guy who was hanging out with the goth girl – _he_ looks like my type. Are those two like a thing?"

"There's a Demon coming after me and you're checking on Manfred's relationship status?" Fiji could hardly believe it, but then again it was Gwen. "They're brother and sister."

"Well, that worked," Gwen stated proudly as she poured herself some more tea.

Fiji was confused. "What worked?"

"I got you to think about something non-Demon related for at least two minutes." Gwen grinned as she drank her tea.

Fiji shook her head a bit at her cousin before admitting, "I've missed you, Gwen."

"Yeah, okay, I guess I've missed you, too, Cuz," Gwen replied then called out, "Yes, Mr Snuggly, I've missed you as well."

"Good," Mr Snuggly, the cat, answered as he jumped on the table between them. "Because I've been getting tired of Fiji these past eight years since you left."

"Awww you poor kitty," Gwen teased and they both chuckled a bit at that because it was so true and the laughter was a welcome relief.

* * *

Gwen stayed up with Fiji all night because Fiji didn't want to sleep or couldn't and Gwen wasn't about to leave her to sit up alone. Gretel offered to stay the night but Fiji politely refused since her cousin was there. At least that's what she said but really she thought Gretel would rather be with Marcus to make sure he was alright.

The sun was up by now and Gwen sat with Fiji at the kitchen table with her feet propped up on the chair near her. "Tell me the truth, Cuz. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Fiji replied, not looking away from the paper she was reading.

"Liar," Gwen countered.

Fiji put the paper down with a sigh and asked again, "Why are you here, Gwen? You've never had visions before and yet you claim you had one. Spill it."

Gwen rested her feet on the floor and leaned forward, placing her crossed hands on the table in front of her. "I've had visions almost all my life and recently I've had them about you. Some really scary dude was trying to drag you into Hell. Honestly, I was going to ignore it but they kept hitting me like a bat to the head so here I am."

"Did Aunt Mildred know about your gift of Sight?" Fiji asked, choosing to ignore how Gwen admitted that she was going to ignore the visions about her.

"You know how she felt about that power – believed it was Dark Magic." Gwen sighed because she didn't know how close Aunt Mildred was to the truth about that. Changing the subject a bit, she said, "You wanna know something ironic? – I knew you were going to replace me as her protégé before that cab even dropped you off at her front door."

Fiji looked at her in surprise. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Gwen shrugged. "Hindsight is 20-20."

And that made them both think back to when Fiji came to stay with Aunt Mildred in Midnight.

* * *

 _Ten Years Ago_

Gwen was sixteen years old when Fiji came to stay with her and Aunt Mildred. She'd been having so many dreams about Fiji taking her place as the next Witch in the family but never said a word. Aunt Mildred might have tried to take away he power or something because she never thought the power of Sight came from Light Magic. So, Gwen kept quiet but that didn't stop her from trying to keep Fiji from coming.

"Why does she have to come here?" Gwen asked as she tended to the herbs in the greenhouse with her Aunt. "There's nowhere else for her to go?"

"And where do you suggest?" Mildred countered, looking at her young niece. "You've been with me since you were a child, Gwen. If Fiji is like us she hasn't had the same training as you. Midnight is the safest place for her to learn."

Gwen wanted to say something else but the taxi pulled up outside and Mildred went out to meet it. Gwen, however, stayed where she was. She clenched her hands causing a potted plant to shatter and felt a relief from her anger because of it. Gwen was a powerful Witch in her own right but if her visions about Fiji were true, then she was nowhere near as powerful as her cousin.

Gwen was pulled from these thoughts when she saw Mr Snuggly hiss in Fiji's direction. She smiled proudly at him, saying quietly, "I don't like her either." Alas, that didn't stop her from putting on a welcoming smile before going out of the greenhouse to say hello…

* * *

 _Present Day_

Gretel was supposed to meet Manfred at Joe's place to go over the Demon killing journals Xylda left them as well as the prophecy where the Veil closing was concerned. She wasn't ready to go there yet – she wasn't ready to leave Marcus.

While he was in the shower, Gretel sat at the table in his apartment with her Tarot placed in front of her. The cards said the same as they always did – Manfred and herself were meant to stop the Hell on Earth from coming but she would need Marcus to reach her full power. How could she possibly do that if he was dead? _That_ gave her faith that he wasn't going to die.

Gretel heard the shower water stopping so she quickly scooped up her cards, placed them back in their pouch, before shoving them back into her bag. She stood up and faced him, asking, "You feel better?"

"I don't feel as hot," Marcus replied, not really answering her question.

Gretel took in his just out of shower look with the towel wrapped around his waist and had to fan herself a little. "Actually, I don't think it's possible for you to look hotter."

He saw the look in her eyes and sighed. "We can't do that again, Gretel."

"The horizontal hula? Why not?" Gretel almost laughed that. "I think you enjoyed yourself."

"I did," Marcus sat on the arm of the sofa with a heavy exhale. "I'm not going to let you sleep with a dead man walking. I won't put you through that."

"You're not going to die," Gretel stated firmly. "The Cards made it clear that you are an important part of the Veil closing. I can't do it without you, so you are not going to die."

Marcus wished she was right, but he felt the contrary and knew she felt it too. "Stop ignoring your Mancer side, Gretel. I know you can feel my impending death."

Gretel couldn't hear any more of this. "Stop it!" she shouted, her voice breaking. "You're not going to die. I won't let that happen. We'll find a way to fix this. Who knows, maybe once the Veil closes the effects of the Hellfire will end along with it?" She went over to Marcus, cupped his face and kissed him deeply. "I'm not going to lose any else I love."

This was the first time she said anything like that to him. "You love me, huh?"

"Didn't I just say that?" she replied with a smile.

A part of Marcus wished she didn't but did not let that show. "I love you, too."

"Good," she gave him a quick peck before grabbing her bag and heading out the door. "Now no more of this death talk, you hear me?"

Marcus nodded with a smile and watched her go. Once the door closed behind her, he let down his shield so to speak. His posture slouched and he allowed the weakness to show. There wasn't anything Gretel could do to keep his death from coming. Marcus' Reaper half felt it like the ticking down of a timer.

* * *

When Gretel walked into Joe's apartment above the tattoo parlor, Joe greeted her by saying, "Just in time. I was about to tell your brother who closed the Veil the last time."

Gretel walked further into the room and stood next to Manfred to hear what he had to say.

Joe picked up where he left off with his conversation with Manfred, "The Seal on the Veil didn't hold forever, obviously, but it was a Shaman. Catori was his name. Weird guy. Tall. Covered in brands and tattoos."

"He didn't happen to mention _how_ he did it, did he?" Gretel asked, rolling her hands a bit.

Joe was a bit reluctant to answer, but he did. "He didn't survive. He went out to the crossroads alone. We found the body a day later. In pieces – broken and burned."

Gretel and Manfred looked at each other, clearly having the same idea in mind. Manfred was the one who voiced it though. "Where was he buried?"

Joe gestured out of the window. "On sanctified ground." He stood to go look out of it. "Underneath the Rev's Church."

"What are we waiting for?" Gretel asked, gesturing back to the door. "Let's go dig him up. Dead bodies we can work with."

"Well, you better work fast," Joe replied as he looked out the window seeing an oncoming sandstorm. When the siblings joined them at the window he added in, "The Veil's opening."

"Oh, hell," Manfred muttered to himself, to which Gretel replied with, "Literally."

* * *

The sandstorm was getting worse, _much_ worse, so Manfred, Gretel, the Rev, and Joe, started telling everyone who wasn't a 'Midnighter' to essentially get the hell out of Dodge. With the message to evacuate spread across town, the went down into the cellar below the Church.

The wind howled as leaves and small debris swept through the town. It reminded Gretel of that scene from the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy was trying to get home before the twister hit. Thankfully they made it down into the cellar without getting sent to Oz.

"Where's the body?" Gretel asked as she crouched down and placed her hand on the dirt floor of the cellar.

"What's left of the body was buried over here," Joe replied and tapped the spot with the shovel in his hand.

Gretel went right to that spot and placed her hand on it, trying to get a feel of what was there.

Manfred wanted to get the digging going so they could get their answers but here she was doing something…weird. "Whatcha doing there, sis?" he asked, his tone making it clear he was getting impatient.

"It's not here," Gretel replied as she stood, brushing her hands off as she did. "There's nothing there."

"There's no way you can tell that," Manfred retorted and started to dig,

"On the contrary, I can feel the presence of every set of remains buried in this town," Gretel replied with a vague hand gesture. "And I'm telling you there's nothing there, Freddie. It's a waste of time."

Manfred couldn't believe that. "There might not be something to pick up on your Mancer radar, but there might be enough to use for a Psychic link."

Gretel stepped aside and let the men go ahead and dig as she muttered to herself, "You're just setting yourself up for an 'I told you so'."

* * *

Marcus went over to Fiji's house to help keep and eye on her. As soon as he walked in, he was met by Olivia shoving him. "Hello to you, too," he muttered, closing the door behind him.

"Why didn't you call me last night?" she asked with crossed arms, expecting an answer.

"And put you through being around Lem?" Marcus replied with raised brows. "From the amount of silver you're wearing, I'm guessing I was correct in my decision."

Olivia was about to say something snarky to him but she saw the dark circles under his eyes and how pale he was. "Marcus, what's going on? I've never seen you look, well, like this."

"Haven't been getting a lot of sleep," Marcus replied, avoiding the truth. He turned the topic of conversation back to her and Lem. "I hope you and Lem can work it out. But if you can't…just know that you're my family no matter what."

Olivia looked as if she was about to cry for a second there. "Same goes for you." She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "I will _always_ be there for you if you need anything. Even if I happen to live to be a hundred."

Marcus doubted that he would be around long enough to see that but for Olivia's benefit he forced a smile on his face. "I'm gonna count on that."

Gwen totally eavesdropped on Marcus' conversation with Olivia before going back over to Fiji asking, "How you doing, Cuz?"

"Will you stop asking me that?" Fiji replied with a heavy sigh.

"If you called me when things started going to hell – literally – then maybe I wouldn't have to ask every two seconds because I'd know what was going on," Gwen shot back. "I know we didn't always get along, Fiji, but we're family. We're the last witches in our line…we should stick together."

"Just because we're related, doesn't mean we're family." Fiji was pretty damn feisty today. She pointed over towards Marcus and Olivia saying, " _They're_ family. Olivia, Lem, and Marcus— _that's_ a family."

Gwen nodded in an 'okay then' manner. "You're right. We're not really family, are we? Never have been. You're the chosen one and I was cast aside. Forgive me for trying to move past that." She started to storm off then turned around only to say, "I see what you're doing with your hair and your clothes, but no matter what…You will **never** be Mildred."

Gwen stormed into the other room, practically running smack dab into Bobo as he went.

* * *

 _Ten Years Ago_

Gwen walked out of the kitchen to find Fiji going into Aunt Mildred's trunk. With a swift wave of the hand, the lid snapped shut – almost right on Fiji's fingers.

"Hey!" Fiji exclaimed getting to her feet. "What was that for?"

"That's Dark Magic," Gwen explained, storming over to her. "You're nowhere near ready for that."

"What is going on in here?" Mildred asked as she joined the girls.

Gwen shot her hand out towards the chest. "Fiji was messing with the box."

"I wasn't messing with anything!" Fiji shouted in defense. "I was just looking at it."

"What's in there is Dark Magic, Fiji," Mildred explained calmly yet firmly. "You're not ready for that yet. That is only to be done when you know what you're doing. And you, my dear, do not." Mildred spoke to Fiji encouragingly, "But that won't be the case for long." She gestured towards the door. "Come with me. It's time for your lessons." As she and Fiji headed outside, she called over her shoulder to say to Gwen, "You as well, child. It seems you too have a bit more to learn."

Gwen's face hardened at that and didn't follow them right off. She took a moment to place her hand on the chest holding the box of Dark Magic within and instantly had a vision of Fiji using it one day. Once the vision ceased, she took her hand away and joined the others in the greenhouse.

Gwen entered just as Fiji was trying to make the dormant tulip bulb bloom. Instead, Fiji made all the plantlife in the greenhouse grow and shoot up straight through the glass ceiling, shattering it. Gwen jumped with a gasp and looked at her aunt with wide eyes after Fiji was finally calmed down. She already knew that Fiji was gonna prove to be a powerful Witch but this…this was a _whole_ other level.

* * *

 _Present Day_

Marcus leaned against the kitchen counter, trying to keep his breathing in check. It wasn't his time yet, he could tell that much, but it was soon coming. He was trying so hard to make his Reaper half overshadow his Dragon so he could keep his strength up for as long as possible but he could still feel the Hellfire burning in his veins.

Olivia walked into the room and saw Marcus looking like he was fighting for his life and she knew for sure that something was wrong. "Spill it, Marcus. What is going on with you?" Her tone made it clear that he wasn't going to get out of telling her the truth this time.

Marcus took a deep breath and turned around to face her. He ripped off the metaphorical band-aid. "I'm dying."

Olivia made a 'pfft' sound because she didn't believe him. "You're a Dragon, dumbass. Immortal. What could possibly kill you?"

"Hellfire," Marcus replied. His eyes were as serious as his tone – he wasn't playing around.

Olivia opened her mouth to speak but soon changed lanes when it clicked. "The sacrifice," she gasped.

Marcus nodded, hating seeing the look of heartbreak in her eyes. "Please don't tell my Father. I – I don't want him to know."

Olivia went right to Marcus and hugged him tight. "We'll fix this. We will. You'll get better, you hear me?"

Marcus wished that was true but no matter how much Olivia or Gretel said it, it wasn't going to change a thing. "No, I won't," he regrettably replied. "I'm sorry."

Olivia loved Marcus very, very much. The years she's spent in Midnight she'd taken on a motherly role to him – at least as much a motherly role as she would allow herself to give. So the thought of Marcus dying was ripping her apart – she couldn't accept it. "There has to be _something_."

"If I was a full-blooded Dragon then I might have had a chance, but I'm a Hybrid," Marcus explained. "This is it for me."

Before anything else could be said, Marcus sensed something – His _Reaper_ sensed something. "Outside," was all he said.

Olivia was about to ask what he was talking about but Fiji calling out for them and Bobo nipped that in the bud. She was clearly conflicted on what to do but as soon as Marcus urged her to go, she did.

It took Marcus longer than it should have to realize exactly what was outside but didn't make sense of the muddle until Olivia and Bobo were already outside. "Wraiths," he said aloud and went out into the living room, shouting, "They need to get back in this house, now!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in Church's cellar, they finally managed to dig up the Shaman's grave. And just like Gretel said, there was nothing there. There wasn't even a scrap of bone or cloth they could have tried to use to make a connection.

When Manfred realized this and exclaimed some choice words because of it, Gretel said, "Told you so." He was clearly pissed at her for saying that and that made her reply with, "Hey, if you just listened to me in the first place we would have saved _all this time_ and could've come up with another plan."

Gretel stopped there because she felt something outside. It chilled her to the bone.

Manfred saw the color leave her face and he quickly went over to her. "Gretel, what's wrong?"

"There's something out there," she replied, looking at him with worried eyes.

A moment later there were gun shots and that made all of them leave the cellar to see what the hell was going on. All through town there were these tall charred looking creatures shrieking at every turn.

Suffice to say, the Rev, Joe, Gretel, and Manfred booked it like a bat out of hell straight to Fiji's house and slammed the door behind them. "What the hell are those things?" Manfred asked as he caught his breath.

"Wraiths," Marcus answered and Joe continued on from there saying, "Evil spirits heralding the arrival of a Demon."

"Colconnar's coming," the Rev more or less unnecessarily interjected.

"Great," Gwen scoffed as she handed Fiji a cloth for Bobo's Wraith wound. "Somebody better have a plan to get out of this mess because I did **not** come all the way back here to die at the hands of some Demon named Coconut."

"Colconnar," pretty much everyone in the room corrected simultaneously.

Gwen rolled her eyes and brushed that off with a wave of her hand. "I said what I said. Now…who's got a plan?" When no one seemed ready to answer, she muttered, "Well, ain't that comforting."

* * *

Fiji was in the back tending to Bobo's wound inflicted upon him by the Wraith while the others discussed what the current situation was.

"At least their spirits," the Rev stated, "means they can't get into the house."

"And Colconnar?" Olivia enquired. "What about him?"

"He's not a spirit," Joe answered. "He's alive. Once he rises…"

Gretel finished his sentence for him. "We're screwed." She looked at Manfred saying, "You know I'm right."

"Yeah, I do," he admitted. "We've got no way to stop the Wraiths. No way to stop Colconnar. We're sitting ducks."

"Quite the motivational speaker, aren't you?" Olivia's voice was riddled with sarcasm.

"Certainly quite the pessimist," Gwen interjected from her seat on the table.

"No," Manfred corrected, "I'm a realist. And my realistic self knows there's only one thing we can do. Get out."

Marcus scoffed at this and Olivia voiced what she just knew he was thinking. "So you come back after you bail just to tell us all to bail?"

"That's not what he's saying," Gretel defended.

"He took you against your will and your defending his choice to bail?" Marcus was clearly still miffed about that.

Manfred sighed before elaborating. "I'm not saying we bail. I'm saying we get Fiji somewhere safe, we regroup, rethink, come back with a plan to kill the Wraiths and Colconnar."

If Marcus was stronger he would have suggested something about the Wraiths but with his state of wellbeing…it would have to be a last resort. Because of this, he was all for coming up with another plan. "I'm in," he voiced, moving away from the wall he was leaning against.

The Rev and Joe looked at each other in agreement as well. "Joe and I will go to the garage," Rev informed the others and they head off to do just that.

"I'm going to fill in Fiji and Bobo," Gwen informed the others before hopping of the table and heading towards the back of the house.

Olivia took a deep breath before going over to Manfred, saying, "Well, before we leave…I'm going to need you to wake up a Vampire."

Marcus smiled when he heard Olivia say this because it was something she thought of all on her own with no help from him. It gave him the hope that Lem and Olivia would return to each other in the end.

* * *

While Fiji was getting ready to leave, Gwen said, "There's something I need to get," before rushing to the back door.

"Are kidding me right now?! First Mr Snuggly runs off and now you?" Fiji was really getting overwhelmed.

Gwen quickly went over to Fiji and gripped her hands saying, "Get out of town. I have my car I'll be right behind you."

There was something in Gwen's voice that made her ask, "I wasn't the only reason you came back to Midnight was I?"

"Let's just say that I left something here that might help." Gwen didn't give Fiji the chance to answer before she darted out through the back door and into the storm.

She pulled her shirt over her mouth to block out the sand as much as possible and ran around the back of the house. It took Gwen a minute or two to find what she hid back there. Finally she found the loose house board and yanked it off. Gwen reached inside, ignoring the spiderwebs as she did, and pulled out an item wrapped in plastic and cloth. After shoving it into her bag, she ran for her car.

Gwen screamed a bit when she almost ran full tilt into one of the Wraiths but managed to get away and ran like hell to her vehicle. She started it up and put it into gear just in time to see Manfred run out of the Greenhouse with Mr Snuggly's car carrier in hand. "Knew I'd love that man," she said to herself and sped forward before screeching to a halt on the side of him. "Get in!"

Manfred quickly got into the car without a second thought. "Figured you'd be with Fiji," he stated, putting Mr Snuggly in the backseat.

"Figured you'd be with your sister," Gwen answered as she sped off, following the others in the Vampire Bus out of town.

"She's with Marcus and the others," Manfred answered, looking around at the storm still swarming round. "Made sure of that before I went back for that darn cat."

"I would have grabbed him myself but I forgot how much he hates storms." Gwen directed toward Mr Snuggly, "Sorry, little guy." She then shot a smile and a bit of a laugh Manfred's way. "You're different than I thought you'd be."

Manfred looked at her curiously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Gwen waited a moment before answering because she was trying to find the right words. "Let's just say Fiji's not the only one I've had visions of."

"I didn't think visions were a Witch thing," Manfred admitted.

"Depends on the Witch," Gwen explained, but didn't go further than that.

"So, what exactly have your visions entailed?" Manfred was trying to size up this Gwen. She may be Fiji's cousin, but that didn't mean that gained her automatic trust.

"You," Gwen answered. "I should have come when I first saw you practically naked, tied to a chair with my cousin standing by. But I kept my curiosity in check."

"You saw that, huh?" Manfred sounded a bit embarrassed by that.

"I've seen a lot of things," Gwen admitted. "Some of which haven't happened yet."

"Let me guess," Mr Snuggly voiced from his car-carrier, "you end up jumping his bones."

Manfred whipped around when he heard Mr Snuggly speak. "You can talk?"

"You didn't know that?" Gwen laughed. "When I lived here, he was always a chatterbox."

"That's a lie and you know it," Mr Snuggly replied between licks to his paw.

Gwen didn't acknowledge that one way or the other and kept on driving.

* * *

In the Vampire Bus, Gretel sat down next to Marcus and took a good look at him. "It's getting worse, isn't it?"

"We're not discussing this here," Marcus firmly whispered back. "Olivia knows but I'm not telling Lem."

"I'm not going to let you die, Marcus, you hear me?" Gretel was feeling like a broken record but she had to keep saying it. She just had to.

Marcus turned to face her better and repeated, "We're not discussing this here."

Gretel sighed and was about to stand up but stopped when Marcus spoke again.

"The Prophecy states that I will help you reach your full power but nowhere does it say that I'll be alive to do it." Marcus knew he was going back on what he said, but he needed her to accept it – Or at least begin to.

"If you think your death will make me ascend into something else, you're crazy," Gretel shot back as she stood. "That wouldn't help me…that would _destroy_ me."

* * *

They managed to drive out of the sandstorm but discovered that the storm was following them. It was figured that it wasn't following _them_ but Fiji. They couldn't outrun the storm so Bobo suggested they hold up in a place with no windows until they came up with a plan. The closest place that fit the criteria was the Cartoon Saloon.

When they all made it inside the Saloon and out of the storm, Fiji confirmed that the storm was following _her_. Manfred urged her to tell them what she wasn't saying. "If you know why the storm is chasing you, it's time to tell us."

"I don't know why Colconnar's after me," Fiji replied in a tentative voice.

"Oh come on, Fiji," Gretel retorted. "I was there, remember? He wanted some one on one time with you and threw Manfred out of the house to get it!"

Gwen remembered this from what Fiji told her and said, "Wait, the Demonic Coconut kept you there?"

"Is that important?" Manfred asked, needing to know.

"Uh, yeah," Gwen replied. "It could mean Fiji's not the only one he wants."

"He hasn't done anything to Gretel," Fiji assured her before adding in. "I'll be in the back."

Gwen blocked her path saying, "Tell them or I will."

Fiji's eyes widened at her. "You wouldn't!"

"Tell us what?" Manfred asked and Gretel added in, "What's going on, Fiji?"

When Fiji saw Gwen start to open her mouth to speak, she exclaimed, "I'm a virgin! I'm a virgin witch. I'm a powerful virgin witch, and that is why it wants me."

The guys were all awkward at the revelation, well all but Lem, but Gretel didn't get it. "So what? What difference does it make if you haven't horizontal hulaed with anyone?"

Fiji was too mortified to speak so she clutched onto the box of Dark Magic and looked away. Gwen answered for her, "Virgin witches, especially older ones – no offense Cuz, are rare. Like _really_ rare. And they're more powerful because of their abstinence."

Fiji finally spoke for herself then. "That _thing_ wants my magic."

Bobo stepped forward and reached out to her saying, "Well, he's not going to get near…"

Fiji cut him off there. "No, please don't. This is the most embarrassing moment of my life, so if y'all just excuse me, I'm gonna need a minute." This time when she walked away, no one tried to stop her.

Gwen looked back to where Fiji walked off to and couldn't stop herself from thinking that there was more to the story…

* * *

 _Ten Years Ago_

Gwen was on her way home with Mildred one evening and they were quiet with one another until they reached their yard. It was then that Gwen stopped her to ask, "Why is Fiji more powerful than me? Is it because I've had sex and she hasn't? Did I blow my chance at being that powerful?"

"Fiji's magic is naturally stronger," Mildred replied, sighing a bit as she did. She walked over to the bench near the front garden and patted the spot beside her for Gwen to sit. When Gwen sat, she continued. "Your blood is different than hers, sweetheart. Your magic is different. I wish I had more answers for you, but your mother never told me who your father was. 'Same tree, different branch' was all she would say about him. There's a whole other side of you we don't know about and that knowledge died with your mother."

Mildred took Gwen's hands and held them tight. "Do not compare yourself to your cousin, Gwen dear. You both have a place in my heart."

Gwen took her hands away and stood up. "You say that, but you don't mean it. Fiji is your golden child now." She stormed off to the house before Mildred could say another word and when they both went inside, they found Fiji crying over a charred body – Jeremy's charred body.

Jeremy and Fiji had been dating for a few months now and it was clear that Fiji and Jeremy were about to take things to the next level. From the looks of things Fiji's heat got out of hand and burned him from the inside out. Gwen's jealously in that moment clouded her judgement and the first thought to filter through her head was 'serves you right'.

* * *

 _Present Day_

As Gwen stood in the Saloon and thought back on that moment, she regretted those words. She never said them aloud but that didn't stop her from thinking about them then. At the time, Gwen felt something about that event was off and that hadn't changed. She felt like the answer was staring her right in the face but she was too clouded to see it.

Gwen moved over to the stage and sat down to pull the wrapped up item out of her bag. After tearing off the plastic she untied the twine and removed the worn out cloth. She blew the dust and dirt that managed to get onto the book before placing her hand on the cover. "I hope I'm not going to regret this."

She took the book into the backroom and dropped it down on the pool table in front of Fiji.

Fiji, never having seen this old tome before, looked at it cautiously. "What is this?"

"Dark Magic – Same branch, different tree," Gwen replied and opened the book. "My father's family magic."

Fiji picked up the book and almost couldn't believe her eyes. "Gwen…this isn't just Dark Magic. This – this is Dark _Fairy_ Magic."

Gwen pulled off her jacket and turned around so Fiji could pull down the back of her shirt. When she did, she could see a brand in the shape of Fairy wings on her back.

"That burned into my skin when I turned eighteen," Gwen informed her as she pulled her jacket back on. "You weren't the only reason why I left, Cuz. In fact, by then, I didn't even care you were there."

Their moment was interrupted by Manfred and Gretel coming into the room. Manfred had a book of his own in his hand. "We have an idea. These are some curses our ancestors used to punish the wicked and vanquish Demons."

"We translated what we could." Gretel handed over the notebook of their translations.

Gwen and Fiji both took a look over this and then looked at each other. "With all this Dark Magic in the room, I'm starting to get shivers," Gwen muttered.

"This is gonna be dangerous as hell, isn't it?" Gretel ventured and Manfred answered with, "So is Colconnar."

Fiji sighed and opened the case saying, "Gypsy Dark Magic, meet Witchcraft Dark Magic."

"Gypsy, Witchcraft, meet Fairy Dark Magic," Gwen interjected and held up a hand saying, "Oh, please, this is _not_ the time to ask."

"Now I'm the one getting the shivers," Gretel thought aloud before shaking her body out like she was getting ready for a fight. "Alright then, let's get it done."

* * *

Fiji, Manfred, Gretel, and Gwen all worked together to combine the different magics in their repertoire to come up with a spell to give them answers on how to kill Colconnar.

With this done, Gretel threw up her hands saying, "I don't like this, Freddie."

"All the magics call for the same ingredient," Manfred replied, clearly hating it himself. "I wish there was another way."

Gretel took a deep breath before gesturing out to the other room where everyone else was. "I'm not telling them."

"You won't have to," Manfred assured as he picked up the Bernardo books, then looked at Fiji and Gwen to see if they were ready for this and upon seeing they were, they all headed out to talk to the others about the plan.

Joe was sitting at the bar when they came into the room and said, "We were getting worried."

"Still might want to be worried," Gretel replied, feeling like she should prepare them.

Fiji explained why she said that. "We combined a curse with an ancient Witch…and Fairy spell to get answers."

"No one ask about the Fairy part," Gwen pleaded, "We don't have time for that."

Manfred interjected, "Problem with this combined spell…it's Black Magic. Meaning it needs a sacrifice."

"Two," Gwen added in, holding up two fingers.

"So, what?" Olivia asked, trying to prepare herself for what was to come. "A couple fingers or something?"

"Lives," Fiji regretfully informed them. "Two lives must be sacrificed in exchange for answers."

Marcus was the first to volunteer. "I'll do it."

"Marcus!" Lemuel exclaimed before Gretel could even open her mouth. "You cannot be serious."

"I am," Marcus replied and stood his ground. "Use me."

"No, Marcus," Gretel interjected, going over to him. "We're not using you. **No**."

Marcus looked at her, wishing the had more time. "I'm dying anyway, my Flame. At least this way I get to decide how to go out."

"What did you just say?" Lemuel demanded to know.

Marcus turned around to face him. "I'm dying, Father. The Hellfire…it's killing me."

"Everyone dies at some point," Mr Snuggly stated as he jumped onto the table next to Marcus. "I'll be the other sacrifice. Love you, Gwenny, but I miss my Mildred."

Marcus kept Lemuel from saying anything else when he announced, "You have your lives. Let's do this."

* * *

While Fiji and Gwen were getting the spell ready, Manfred went over to Gretel and took her aside to talk. "That's what you were keeping from me? Marcus is dying?"

Gretel nodded then turned to face him better. "I can't let him do this, Freddie. I – I love him. I…" She couldn't even bring herself to say anything more.

Manfred hugged his crying sister and kissed her head. "I'm so sorry, Gretel. I'm so sorry." He couldn't think of another thing to say to her.

Marcus stood by and watched Gretel and Manfred but his eyes were pulled away when Lemuel stood in his line of sight. "Were you ever going to tell me?" Lemuel demanded to know.

"Honestly, no," Marcus admitted. "You were worry, or just like everyone else you would say that we'd find another way but there is no other way for me. I'm _dying_ I knew it would happen sooner or later. I saw my mother die in front of me. I would welcome this death with open arms if it wasn't for Gretel."

"Then why aren't you fighting to live?" Lemuel couldn't understand it.

"I'm not one for false hope, Father," Marcus replied. "You know that better than anyone." He hugged Lemuel then, even though that wasn't something they really did. "I'm going to miss you, Dad."

Lemuel hugged him back tightly. "I'll miss you, too, my son."

Olivia came over then with teary eyes saying, "What, no love for me?"

Marcus went right to her next and hugged her saying, "Goodbye, Liv."

"Goodbye, Marcus." Olivia sniffled and placed her hands on the sides of his face before kissing his forehead. "I hate you for dying before me. It's not fair."

"Love you, too," he grinned and then saved Gretel for last. He walked towards her and she met him halfway. "There are so many things I want to say to you…"

"I don't want to hear them," Gretel replied. "Just kiss me."

So, he did. Marcus pulled her close and kissed her so deeply with such longing. He didn't want to leave her behind but he had no choice – death was coming for him and there was no way out of it.

When their lips parted, they rested their foreheads against each other. After their whispered 'I love yous', Marcus stepped into the finished circle with Mr Snuggly because Fiji and Gwen were done with the preparations.

Fiji and Gwen both had to slice their hands and offer their blood into the circle. Before taking the next step, Fiji leaned forward and whispered to Mr Snuggly, "Give Aunt Mildred a kiss for us." After that, she took Gwen's hand and said, "We offer these lives for an answer."

Both Fiji and Gwen gasped as they leaned their heads back and dark smoke wafted out of their mouths and surrounded Marcus and Mr Snuggly within the circle. When the darkness dissipated, they were still standing.

"Hey," Mr Snuggly complained, "why are we not dead?"

His question was answered when both Manfred and Gretel turned blue and their bodies dropped to the floor.

"No!" Marcus exclaimed and rushed over to the both of them.

Olivia went over to Gretel and started doing CPR on him while Gwen did the same to Manfred. "Come on you ass. Wake up!"

Fiji was starting to freak out. "No…no…they…they were just supposed to get answers. They're not supposed to be dead."

Joe had to step in and stop Olivia from doing CPR on Gretel saying, "They're gone."

"It's not supposed to be like this," Gwen said to them as she stopped and stepped back. "This isn't what I saw…"

Olivia stopped and looked at Marcus. With one look to his face she could tell that Joe was right…they were gone.

Marcus laid himself down between the two of them and took their ice cold hands in his. He closed his eyes without a word. Marcus wasn't doing anything besides being there with them. He couldn't accept that they were gone—despite how much he felt his Reaper reaching out to them.

"What is he doing?" Olivia asked Lemuel, knowing that if anyone knew he would.

"He's mourning," Lemuel answered, not taking his eyes off his son. "Dragons lie with their lost ones in death."

Marcus laying between them holding their hands was heartbreaking before, hearing the reason behind it made it so even more.

Gwen moved next to Manfred to whisper into his ear. "You want to know what I've seen in my visions? You. I've seen visions of you my entire life. I've seen things that haven't happened yet so I refuse to believe this is the end of the line for you. I did **not** have those visions for nothing. Not even the Fairies are that cruel."

* * *

During this time, everyone was so focused on Manfred, Gretel, and the others that no one realized Fiji had left.

During their 'death' Manfred and Gretel appeared in Midnight and yet…it wasn't. This was a completely different plane of existence. "I don't like it here," Gretel instantly said to her brother when they appeared.

"I like it," Manfred countered, "it's…peaceful."

The Church bell started to ring and they turned towards it together. In front of the Church was the Shaman who closed the Veil all those years ago.

"It's you," Manfred stated, "Cato…"

"Catori," he replied. "And you are?"

"Manfred," he placed a hand on his sister's arm, "and this is Gretel."

"So…" Gretel began, "this is death?"

Catori nodded. "This is death."

"I like it," Manfred said to Catori. "It's peaceful. More peaceful than Midnight is at the moment." He thought for a second before asking, "Is Xylda around?"

Catori didn't answer the question but asked one of his own. "Don't you have a question for me?"

"Yeah," Gretel answered. "Sorry." She took a breath before asking, "How do we close the Veil?"

Catori appeared in front of them in the blink of an eye then leaned forward, whispering to them both all they needed to know.

* * *

With the message received, Manfred and Gretel both shot up into sitting positions where they fell in the Saloon. Gwen practically jumped out of her skin with a shriek and Marcus held right onto the gasping and shuddering Gretel.

"I thought I lost you," Marcus said to her, so relieved it wasn't her time yet.

"Your hearts were stopped," Joe added in and Olivia looked shocked as she said, "What the hell?"

"The spell," Manfred answered, "it worked. We got the answers we needed."

Gretel was about to say something to Marcus when she realized Fiji wasn't among the faces in the group. "Where's Fiji?" she asked worriedly and finally the others realized she wasn't there.

The entire group ran outside and Bobo called out, "Fiji!" The storm was no longer present and this was proof enough for what Manfred was suspecting. When Gretel joined him at his side, he said it aloud, "She's going to him."

"Oh, hell," Gretel said in a tone to match and without missing a beat, Manfred added in, "Literally."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 9


	10. One hell of a Tea Party -Season 1 Finale

Everyone was in the Vampire Bus on the way back to Midnight in hopes of rescuing Fiji in time. While they were all discussing Fiji, how Colconnar most likely wants to procreate with Fiji because of how powerful she is, Gwen went into the far end of the bus and sat next to Marcus there.

"I've seen you, too, you know?" Gwen greeted quietly so only he would hear. "I don't normally see things in the past but something about you…" she pointed at him in an 'I can't quite figure out why' manner before continuing, "…you, I saw as a kid. You were standing in front of a woman with long red hair, but she looked a hell of a lot like you."

Marcus turned his weak person to face her better. Her words had captured her attention. "Go on."

"She said – 'You can't live as both forever – it's not the Dragon's way. One day, you'll have to make a choice. And you, my Angel…you're _just_ like your father." Gwen patted him on the knee before standing and saying, "Food for thought."

Marcus was still going over those words as she rejoined the others and presently Lemuel came into the back area asking, "What she want?"

"She told me how I was going to die." Which wasn't _exactly_ the truth but in Marcus' eyes…it _was_.

Olivia popped her head in at that moment to say, "You guys might want to hear this."

Manfred and Gretel were telling the others about the Shaman they saw during their death. "When we died, the Shaman said the first of the Demons would rise on the night of the blood moon."

"That, unfortunately folks, is tonight," Gretel added in.

"Sounds creepy enough," Olivia replied, "but what does that mean?"

"Xylda and I, none of us, would even do readings on nights of the blood moon." Manfred went into more detail after that. "They create a potent Psychic environment that can be a conduit for evil. It's too dangerous."

"It's also a full moon," Rev informed the others.

"This keeps getting better," Lemuel sarcastically interjected.

Gretel knew the odds were against them but she said, "The spell worked. We know how to kill Colconnar."

"Any chance of sharing that information?" Marcus asked weakly, looking up at her.

Gretel answered seriously when she said, "I think you've got enough to worry about, hon."

Manfred went into plan time – "Gwen, Olivia, Bobo, find Fiji. Keep her safe until Colconnar's gone."

"Done," Bobo answered firmly and reassuringly. He was going to do everything in his power to keep Fiji from getting hurt.

Marcus had to know what they were going to do, "How are you going to kill Colconnar?"

"Details aren't important," Manfred answered for his sister and she seemed grateful for that because she could barely even look at Marcus. He was withering away before their eyes and it even pained him to see it.

"Before we worry about killing Colconnar," Olivia interjected, "what are we going to do about the Wraiths?"

Bobo shared his experience with them. "They barely touched me but burned right through my clothes. hurt like hell."

Marcus had an idea about that. "Did anyone bring weapons?

He was answered shortly after when Olivia produced a pile of weapons – mostly guns of various sizes but there were some blades in the pile as well.

Olivia waved her hand towards the array, saying, "This is everything."

Joe picked up an axe saying, "Wraiths are spirit manifestations of evil. An axe isn't going to cut it."

Marcus forced himself up to his feet and leaned against the counter the weapons were on. "It might if it was purified."

Manfred nodded with a pleased smile on his face. "Old school, I like it."

Now Gretel was quick to pick up on their thought train. "They're evil and evil doesn't like Holy Water."

"Holy Water touches them, they recoil, gives enough time to get through," Marcus replied quickly and needed to take some deep breaths after that.

Gwen walked over to them and presented a couple bottles of water. "These good enough?"

The Rev took them saying, "Yes. I can sanctify these and bless the weapons."

Marcus was about to ask something of the Rev but stopped because Manfred spoke to Gretel saying, "While they're with Fiji, we head to the Pawn Shop." This changed what Marcus was going to originally ask. "Why the Pawn Shop?" he queried instead.

Gretel's answer was simply and vague. "There's stuff there we need."

* * *

Later, Marcus sat down next to Gretel with a grateful sigh of relief. "You're not going to tell me what the plan is, are you?" He already knew the answer to that but was going to ask anyway.

"Freddie and I are going to do what needs to be done – whatever the risks," Gretel replied, not looking at him. "So, no, I'm not going to tell you."

Marcus reached out and gently turned her face to his. "I trust you will do whatever it takes just as I know you will trust me to do the same." He didn't elaborate and kissed her gently before getting to his feet to make his way into the back of the bus to speak to Lem – leaving a speechless Gretel in his wake.

When he got there, he saw Lem talking with Olivia. "Sorry, I'll come back."

"We're good," Olivia replied and left the room, giving Marcus a motherly kiss on the cheek as she went.

Lemuel stood and helped Marcus into a seat beside his. "How are you feeling, son?"

"Like hell," Marcus laughed and coughed because of it. "I need a favor, Dad."

Lemuel sighed deeply. "You only call me 'Dad' when something is really bad. What is it?"

"I need you to leech the pain," Marcus answered, getting right to the point. "I have an idea and I can't do anything about it if it hurts too much to move." He added in, in a way a son would tease their father, "Besides, it looks like you could use a pick-me-up too, old man."

Lemuel sat next to Marcus and took his hand. "You are my son. I will do anything for you." With a teasing smirk of his own, "Even let that 'old man' comment slide."

Marcus chuckled for a moment and then Lemuel started to leech the pain. He knew it would only be a temporary fix, but it would last him long enough.

* * *

The Vampire bus was parked far enough away from town to keep from being detected and after getting armed up, they all trekked it into town – each with their own blessed weapon.

Right before they were about to head in, Manfred stopped to say, "We protect Fiji, kill a Demon, close a portal to Hell. Sounds like a good enough plan, right?"

"My skin is burning," an almost completely covered from the sun Lemuel replied. "Stop talking."

Manfred nodded in a fair enough way and resumed the trek. Gretel, standing beside him, said, "As long as we don't die, this is gonna be one hell of a story."

Marcus heard what she said as well and spun around the metal baseball bat in his hand, feeling _much_ better after the pain getting leeched. It would give him just enough strength to do what was needed to be done. Of course, he didn't tell anyone what he was planning to do…just in case he failed. But looking over and seeing Gretel, even Manfred with her, he realized that failure was not an option.

Per the plan, Gwen, Bobo, and Olivia split off from the group to find Fiji. And since Marcus was feeling better after the leeching, he went with them.

Marcus wanted to be with Gretel for this but he knew he wouldn't be able to do what he felt he had to if she was there. He also knew that it would be the same for her. They were each other's strengths and also each other's weaknesses.

After a bit of staking out they discovered most of the Wraiths were near the Church – just where they happened to be. "Is it is just me," Gwen said to them as well as Joe on the phone with her, "or do these Wraiths look…solid?"

"Doesn't matter," Joe replied. "They're still spirit manifestations. They can take any shape they want. They're evil and consecrated weapons will work on them."

"Good to know," Gwen replied and after confirmed that they'd provide distraction for them to get to Fiji's house, she ended the call.

"Y'all ready for this?" Gwen asked the others. "They're gonna distract the Wraiths for us."

"How?" Olivia asked and was answered by Joe's loud whistle from down the street. "That works."

Marcus looked around the corner of the Church and saw Manfred, Gretel and the others firing off shots as well as using bladed weapons. He looked proudly as Gretel sliced through them with the machete Olivia had given to her.

Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, he took off with the others to Fiji's house since it was clear but some more Wraiths appeared nearby.

"Get to Fiji's!" Olivia shouted. "I'll make sure you're covered."

"Liv!" Marcus shouted in a 'don't do that' way only for her to shout back, "Listen to your mother – go!"

Marcus couldn't believe she chose _then_ of all times to refer to herself as his mother, but it was welcome terminology.

They booked it across the street and Olivia provided cover fire for them from the Church's bell tower until they made it safely there.

"Let us in, Cuz!" Gwen shouted as she and Bobo pounded on the door. "Don't make me break down this door!"

Fiji opened it moments later and couldn't believe her eyes. "Bobo, Gwen, Marcus," she greeted in shock. "What are you doing here? You should not have come back." She was clearly pissed. "I left so that you would be safe, so that what happened to Manfred and Gretel would not happen…"

"Manfred and Gretel are fine, Cuz," Gwen interjected. "They came back to life. They're alive– the spell worked. They got their answers."

That didn't change how Fiji felt. "Oh, okay. Well, thank Goddess that they're alive, but still I don't want anyone else getting hurt!"

"They know how to stop Colconnar," Marcus assured her. "Nothing's going to happen to you."

"We're not going anywhere," Bobo swore.

Fiji was feeling very emotional. "Maybe I want you to. I can deal with Colconnar. But I cannot deal with you dying for me."

"Olivia's coming," Gwen said from the window and Marcus went right to the door in time to see one of the Wraiths wrap its arms around her.

"No!" Marcus shouted and rushed right to her.

Gwen was right behind him, ready to slay the beast but froze when she saw who it was. "Is that…"

"No," Fiji answered in anger and took the weapon from her before using it on the Wraith who took the appearance of Jeremy herself.

Bobo carried Olivia into the house with them because Marcus was getting too weak again to do so.

Olivia gasped and groaned in pain – a pain so severe she couldn't take it.

Marcus dropped to her side, taking her hand in his. "You're gonna be fine, Mom," he said quietly to her. "It's not your time yet. You're gonna be fine."

Olivia had tears streaming down her face but even so she forced her expression to be strong and nodded to agree with him, even though she didn't.

Marcus felt his time growing shorter and had to act on his decision now. He kissed Olivia's forehead and whispered, "You're not dying today," before leaving her side to go into the back of the house.

* * *

In the Pawn Shop with Joe, Rev, and Lemuel; Manfred and Gretel looked around for the items they needed. "You got your Tea Party friends with you?" Manfred asked as they looked.

She gestured to the jewelry on her person, saying, "Always." With that assured, they went back to searching through the items, looking for the most evil ones they could.

Their search was interrupted by Joe asking, "What exactly are you looking for?"

"The Shaman said in order to fight evil, I need to know evil," Manfred answered and Gretel picked up from there saying, "There are spirits tethered to objects here. Some of them are evil."

"Think any of them are Demonic?" Manfred asked, looking among the shelves.

Lemuel scoffed, "I'm sure. With all the Supernatural creatures pawning things here over the years. I'll see what I can find." He pulled up the collar of his coat and headed into the back room.

"You said you need to know evil," Joe said to Manfred once Lemuel left the room. He turned to Gretel and asked, "What about you?"

"The Shaman told me to do what I do best once I reach my full power." Gretel gestured to her jewelry saying, "Tea Party," and left it at that.

* * *

Marcus hated being away from Olivia and hoped that Fiji's salve would help her – despite how deep her burns were. What he wanted was to be there for her but this was his last chance to do what he had to do if there was any chance of surviving.

Hellfire was coursing through his veins – Hellfire was lethal to Dragons but to Reapers…to _Angels of Death_ such exposure was a mere nuisance. His Dragon mother was right, one day he would have to make a choice and he would become just his Reaper father.

Marcus closed his eyes and with every bit of strength he had his ripped his Reaper half away from his Dragon one. Marcus now stood, semi-corporeal, wearing a hooded cloak. He pulled down the hood, his pitch black eyes looking at his Dragon half floating in front of him – his scales like ash, his claws cracked and broken. He was dying before his own eyes and it was now or never.

"I never wanted to have to choose," he said to his Dragon half with regret. "But a part of me needs to live…for _her_." Marcus pulled a hand scythe from beneath his cloak and held it above his Dragon half's head. With one fell swoop, he beheaded that half killing him.

Marcus' head fell back as he screamed while the Dragon Fire from that half of him surged out and into his pitch black eyes. When the Fire ceased his semi-corporeal form because completely solid and when his eyes shot open, they were red fire.

Bobo, Fiji, and Gwen ran into the back room. "What did you do?" Bobo asked as Marcus rose to his feet, seeing the dead Dragon on the floor.

"I had to choose," Marcus replied as he removed the cloak and draped it over the body of his other half.

"But – how?" Fiji didn't understand what was happening.

"If anything else killed a half of me, my entirety would be dead," Marcus explained, his fire eyes looking right at them. "This was a willing sacrifice." He walked past the group saying, "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to see my mother before I go help my Flame."

* * *

It was going to be dark soon and close to showtime. Manfred got ahold of Gwen and was told Fiji was safe and _wasn't_ told that Olivia had been injured…or the weird as hell thing Marcus did by killing one half of himself in order to save the other. Manfred, Gretel, and everyone else at the Pawn Shop was completely ignorant about that.

Before going to see what Lem came up with as far as evil went, Manfred went to check on his sister. "Any idea how to reach full power, yet?"

"According to the cards, Marcus is the key to that but he's barely standing." Gretel pressed her face into her hands and took a deep breath. "Do what I do best, right? Hold Tea Parties and stick close to you. We're more powerful together than we are apart."

"No argument there." Manfred gave Gretel a quick kiss on the head and went to see the Demon-tethered items he had for him.

While Manfred was doing this, Gretel looked around the Shop for items of her own use. Her Tea Party spirits were ones who died protecting others. It didn't matter how they lived their life, it was their death that mattered. So Gretel focused on the voices that made it clear when they died…they died for another.

Gretel had gathered the last item and set them on the counter in front of Joe.

"What are those for?" he asked, coming over, looking at the odd collection.

"Manfred has to know evil…I have to have a Tea Party," Gretel answered, setting up the items in a row.

"You say that a lot, what does it mean?" Joe asked curiously with crossed arms.

"I've had three spirits tethered to the jewelry I wear. When I was a kid, we'd have tea parties together. When I got older and needed help, I'd call upon them to possess me." Gretel removed her jewelry and set it among the others. "The Shaman said I had to do what I do best, and this…this is it. I've had these Tea Parties almost all my life and it's time to extend the guest list."

Joe looked at the items again saying, "It's gonna be one hell of a tea party," because there were so many of them.

Gretel nodded before taking a deep breath and summoning all the spirits from the items. They all swirled around her before making their presences known. "You all have died trying to protect someone – that's your unfinished business. If you help me now…there's a chance you could cross over and get out of Limbo. If that's what you want…help me send some evil scum back to Hell."

None of the spirits said a word but one by one they smoked themselves into Gretel, her body contorting and gasping as they did. When the final spirit entered her, she grabbed onto the counter and gasped. With pitch white eyes, she turned to face her brother at the other end of the Shop. "Your turn," she said to him in a darker than normal voice.

Manfred knew what she meant and nodded. Only for him…he would be taking in Demons. Now _he_ was gonna have one hell of a Tea Party.

* * *

Marcus had seen Olivia and went over to Fiji and the others to say, "Her time isn't now, but I'm afraid that will change if she doesn't get medical help. Olivia should be in a hospital."

"Then let's all go," Bobo suggested, only to be shot down.

"The last time I left, Colconnar sent those Wraith things to bring me back," Fiji retorted.

"I'll take her," Gwen offered. "Only problem is, my car is parked with the Vampire bus."

"I'll get Fiji's car. Get her ready," Bobo offered and went out to do just that before Fiji could try and stop him.

"He loves you. You have got to know that," Gwen said to Fiji as they got Olivia ready to go, only to have Marcus cut in and scoop her right up in his arms and carry her outside to the car Bobo was speeding into the front yard.

Gwen didn't wait for Fiji to answer and got right out of the house and into the car. And once Marcus had Olivia settled, she put it into gear and got the hell out of Midnight.

Marcus didn't follow Bobo and Fiji into the house, instead he said, "Don't wait up for me," and took off across the street towards the Church.

Bobo and Fiji trusted his decisions or at least believed that he was doing what he thought was right, so neither of them tried to stop him and went back into the house.

* * *

The sun was setting and the Blood Moon was on the rise. Manfred and Gretel were both armed with their possessions – Manfred with his Demons and Gretel with her collection of Tea Party guests.

Colconnar rose from the fires of Hell, his clawed, horned body charred and glowing with Hellfire. He demanded, "Bring the virgin Witch to me."

Manfred and Gretel walked out of the Pawn Shop together, saying in unison with their darkened, possessed voices, "Not gonna happen."

Colconnar walked towards them saying, "Evil and Spirits are making your powerful. Join us."

"Pass," Gretel shot back then both she and Manfred shot up their hands and threw balls of energy right at Colconnar. They were direct hits but did not do very much to the Demon.

"Your mistakes," Colconnar snarled and threw a ball of energy of his own, knocking both Manfred and Gretel on their backs.

As soon as Marcus saw this he left the Church's bell tower and produced his black Angel of Death/Reaper wings and took off towards the Bernardos.

The siblings got to their feet as a surge of light magic energy was felt through the entire town. Something that clearly displeased Colconnar. "NO! Fiji, what did you do!" Colconnar roared out, "Now you all die!"

He used even more powerful energy to blow up every car on the street and throw the siblings apart. Lemuel went to Manfred with one more powerful, Demonic artifact while Gretel hid behind a mailbox trembling.

Gretel looked across the street at her brother with her pale white eyes then gasped when Marcus – full Reaper Marcus – landed in front of her. "How?" she asked with her darkened voice from all the spirits within her.

"You forgot to invite a guest," Marcus said to her as his body turned incorporeal with his eye red eye glowing. "No one messes with my Flame and lives." His body turned to red mist and went inside Gretel with the other spirits.

Gretel gasped as Marcus did this, with no time to question it. Her body started to shake almost uncontrollably and suddenly it stopped. Gretel's eyes opened wide as the white faded way to blue flames. With newfound strength she stood up and met Manfred in the middle of the road.

With Manfred's additional Demonic spirit, black ooze streamed from his eyes, nose, and mouth. But the power was just what he needed to help taken Colconnar down.

Manfred took his sister's hand in his and held tight, saying to Colconnar in an even more Demonic voice than before, "This. Is. Over."

Manfred and Gretel both raised their hands to shoot out their powerful streams of energy as their clasped hands glowed, giving them even more power than they had before.

Colconnar fought back with his own power but it was no match for them. "NO!" he snarled and tried to increase the stream of power.

Manfred and Gretel did the same and they said together, "Get out of Midnight! Get out of our home and go to Hell!" With that exclamation, the power – the magic – from their clasped hands shot out towards Colconnar – a direct hit.

Colconnar roared as the magic hit him before he disintegrated before their eyes and the Veil closed with his death.

Gretel gasped as all the spirits, Marcus included, left her body. As the spirits manifested in front of her she took deep breaths saying, "Thank you."

All the spirits, including her Tea Party friends, all smiled at her before they faded away finally able to move on but Marcus was nowhere to be seen. This made her believe that he was gone – dead – and it broke her heart. She pushed that down and turned to her brother who dropped to the ground after releasing the Demonic spirits.

Gretel went to his side and place her hands on his arm and back to support him as he threw up the last of the black 'goo' leftover from the Demons. "Freddie? Freddie, are you alright?"

"I'm not sure," Manfred answered as he got to the feet with her help, "but that was one hell of a Tea Party."

"Colconnar's gone," Gretel said with tears of relief in her eyes. "We did it."

"Yes, you did," Marcus answered proudly and smiled wide at the look of shock on her face.

"Marcus," Gretel gasped and ran right for him, cupping his face. "How…how?"

"Later," Marcus replied with pure love in his fiery red eyes. "Later." When Lem came out of the Pawn Shop, he went over to him because there was something he had to know about Olivia.

Fiji and Bobo joined them and Gretel went over to Fiji saying, "You're safe, Fiji. It's all good."

"We're all safe," Fiji replied with relief. "Thank you – both of you."

"Dad, there's something you need to know," Marcus began to tell his father but Lemuel cut him off.

"You severed ties with your Dragon," Lemuel replied, thinking that was it. "That was a risk, son."

"I know, but that wasn't what I was going to tell you," Marcus replied. "It's about Mom."

Lemuel had never heard Marcus refer to Olivia as his mother before so this really must be important. "What happened?"

* * *

Gwen sat on one of the chairs outside of Olivia's room and bounced her foot up and down anxiously. Not just because she was worried about Olivia – she was past even her Fairy magic now – she was anxious because of who she called in case they could help.

Madonna, from the restaurant, walked down the hall and straight to Gwen saying, "This is not the reunion I expected, child."

"I know," Gwen answered and hugged Madonna in greeting. "There's nothing I can do to help her, Madonna. They don't think she'll make it through the night. Is there…is there anything you can do?"

Madonna sighed. "No, honey, there isn't. I'm not a part of the Realm anymore. There's nothing I can do."

* * *

A little while later, Lemuel and Marcus walked down the hall towards them with Manfred and Gretel. "Gwen," Manfred addressed, his tone asking how she was doing.

Gwen walked over to them saying, "I'm so sorry. I tried to help but she's past my abilities. The doctors say she's holding on but there's nothing more they can do." After a moment she looked at Lemuel and said, "She gave me a message for you…"

"She can tell me herself," Lemuel shot back. "Where is she?" When Gwen gestured towards Olivia's room, Lemuel cocked his head for Marcus to join and they went right in.

"That's gotta hurt," Gwen sighed softly as she took her seat again.

"What?" Manfred asked her.

"Helping her soul cross over – if she dies." Gwen looked up at Manfred and Gretel. "He's a full-on Angel of Death now."

Gretel was about to ask how she knew that and Gwen answered before she had the chance to say it. "I've had a full view of what happened in Midnight," Gwen said with a 'don't ask' wave of the hand. "Congrats on closing the Veil by the way. Fiji's safe?" Seeing their nods, she nodded. "Good."

* * *

Lemuel and Marcus went into Olivia's room and Lem asked his son, "How long does she have?"

"It's strange," Marcus answered, looking down at her, "it feels like she doesn't have long left and yet it also not her time."

Lemuel took that as a sign to do what he had intended to do. He hissed as he bit into his wrist and let his blood drip into Olivia's mouth. Once she had enough, her wounds healed and she awoke with a gasp.

Olivia almost couldn't believe it. "I'm not dead."

"Healed you with a little blood," Lemuel answered. "It's not good for humans, I know, but I couldn't lose you."

"You won't," Olivia assured him – swore to him – then turned to Marcus. "Why do you look like your Reaper half? Except for the eyes. Where's your other body?"

"Long story." Marcus gave her a squeeze. "You just focus on getting better, Mom."

"Mom," Olivia smiled. "Never thought I'd like the sound of that." She turned to Lemuel saying, "You know what we have to do now?"

Lemuel was confused. "No…what?"

"Get married," Olivia answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world and smiled.

* * *

 _A Week Later_

The Rev stood at the front of the Church as he presided over Lemuel and Olivia's wedding. "Family isn't always about blood. Family are the people that accept you as you are, without judgement. The people that stand with you in joy and agony. With family, love doesn't come with conditions. Sacrifices are made willingly, if only to spare your loved ones pain. And if your exceptionally lucky, you're born into that. But sometimes not. Sometimes it takes a long time to find that family. Most of us know what it's like to be alone, solitary. But because we know loneliness, we recognize the miracle, the magic, committing to that family, for good or bad, sickness or health, aging and not."

A lot of those present got a chuckle out of that.

Rev smiled as he said, "It's time to exchange the rings."

Marcus, Lem's best man, held out the silver colored wedding band for him to place on Olivia's finger. "Don't worry, Dad. It's platinum, not silver."

Lemuel chuckled along with Olivia and exchanged rings with her, neither of them feeling happier before than they had at that very moment.

* * *

At the reception, Gretel danced with Marcus and she too felt happier than she ever thought would be possible. "You know," she teased him with a smile, looking into his red eyes, "if there was ever an excuse to break up with me – your Dragon half dying and severing the mystical connection between us would have been applicable."

"The Dragon died, but the fire did not," Marcus replied, smiling as he twirled her. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"I told you so," Gretel said in a sing-songy voice before placing her hand on the side of his face and kissing him. She then giggled when he dipped her and kissed her again.

Manfred was glad Gretel was so happy and had no intention of getting in the way of that again. Putting his hands into his pockets, he headed to the crossroads nearby where Colconnar emerged and the Veil sealed. Whether it's sealed for good or just for the next thousand years no one knew, but it wasn't worth worrying about that night.

Gwen saw Manfred go off so she follow him, not speaking until he stopped under the stoplight. "You're a big part of this happening, you know that, right?"

"I just helped," Manfred chuckled lightly as he turned to face her. "Did you mean what you said?"

Gwen's brow furrowed a bit. "I say a lot of things. You're gonna have to be a bit more specific."

"Death either did something more than make me, well, _die_ or I heard you tell me that you've had visions of me all your life," Manfred replied, moving closer to her a bit. "Which is it?"

Gwen crossed her arms and avoided the answer a little bit. "I'm not a believer in soul mates. That's a Dragon thing, not a Witch thing."

Manfred was right in front of her now, asking, "What about a Fairy thing?"

Gwen pressed her lips together and didn't answer him that and got annoyed when she found him smiling. "Oh, shut up."

Manfred just laughed at that with a shake to his head. Oh, this was ironic on so many levels. With an 'I can't believe I'm about to ask this' deep breath, he offered her his hand. "Would you like to dance?"

Gwen winced a bit saying, "Nah…not really. Dancing and I don't really mix."

"Girl after my own heart," he teased then suggested, "how about a drink instead?"

"Boy after my own heart," she teased right back and linked her arm with his, heading straight to the bar.

* * *

The next morning, practically the entire town was woken up by a rumbling that was _not_ an earthquake. Outside, there were a whole bunch of constructions workers and machinery appearing to work on the closed down Hotel in town. Everyone went out to find out what the hell was going on for sure.

As they all congregated, a woman in a red dress suit went over to them saying, "Apologies. A terrible first impression. The trucks weren't supposed to arrive for another day…"

"Who are you?" Olivia interrupted, practically demanding to know.

"Melanie Pratt," she replied. "I work with Albany Worldwide. We're a hospitality company and the new owners of the Hotel."

"Why would you buy the Hotel?" Bobo wanted to know.

Melanie Pratt smiled wide. "We're renovating. I mean, it is a historic property."

"I don't think that's wise," the Rev replied.

Melanie disagreed in a quite perky manner. "Oh, this will completely revitalize Midnight. We'll make this town a destination. We'll get tourists in here from all over. This town has a very colorful history."

Marcus could have laughed at that but stoically answered, "That's one way to put it."

Manfred and Gretel completely missed out on the rest of the conversation because they both had a feeling to look up at the Hotel's windows, so they did. The spirit they saw there pounding on the window was a face they never expected to see in Midnight – or to see dead for that matter.

Gretel grabbed onto her brother's arm and they exchanged a look with each other to make sure they both were seeing the same thing, and with that confirmation they looked back to the window at to the all too familiar face…

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 10 – Season 1 Finale

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, Readers! Thank you all for reading and reviewing Hello, Midnight! It seriously means a lot, so thank you all so much! I don't know yet if Midnight, Texas has been renewed for Season 2. If it has this story will be continued and if not...well, we'll see. :)**


	11. Midnight - Season 2 Episode 1

Gretel walked into Marcus's Beanie Baby collection room with a couple of boxes in hand. Ever since the death of his Dragon half he didn't feel compelled to collect them anymore and wanted to get rid of the entire collection – With the exception of Scorch and the ghost ones because of sentimental value, but all others were to go.

She picked up a sheet of tissue paper to start wrapping them up. This made her think back to when Marcus shared this part of his life with her and she couldn't help but feel like they were closing that chapter.

"What am I thinking?" Gretel muttered as she set a wrapped Beanie into the box. "That chapter was closed the second his Dragon died." She reached out to take another from the shelf but stopped and lowered herself to the floor instead. Gretel crossed her legs and dropped her face into her hands. The Flame may not have died, but Marcus was different. While he no longer collected the Beanies, he collected _something_ – He collected _souls_. Perhaps collected wasn't the correct word, but it was the closest comparison Gretel could come up with at the moment.

Marcus's Reaper was in full swing, so for the past couple months he'd been gone giving into his nature and taking the souls of the dead to the afterlife they deserved. In fact, Gretel has only seen Marcus a handful of times since this started because, as Marcus said, death doesn't take a holiday. Even now, Marcus was in Nevada or somewhere because that's where he felt the pull. As much as Gretel still loved him, she wasn't sure how much more of this she could take. She understood it was his nature and wouldn't make him try to be something he wasn't, but she also wanted him home. She _needed_ him there.

Gretel was pulled from her thoughts by the ringing of her cellphone. She adjusted herself to get the cell out of her back pocket and answered it after seeing the name and picture on the screen. "I was just thinking about you."

"Good things I hope," Marcus answered from his end of the line. He heard how Gretel just sighed in reply. This prompted him to say, "I'm sorry, Gretel. I am doing my best." Marcus didn't need to be told what was bothering her. He could easily assume it was the same thing that had been bothering her for the past couple of months.

"I get that. I just don't get why you have to literally poof away whenever you feel a death. Are you the only Reaper in existence? I doubt that." Gretel laid back on the floor and looked up at the many, _many_ Beanie Babies lining the shelves. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too." Marcus would have given anything to have his Reaper half be dormant again, but it wasn't a half of him anymore but his whole. His Dragon was dead and gone and this was his new reality. "I am making up for lost time, Gretel. All the years I did not collect the souls I could have, I need to collect now."

Gretel scoffed at this. "Oh, so you have a supernatural quota you need to meet or something?"

Marcus was quiet for a moment. "Something like that, yes. I'll be home as soon as I can. I love you."

"You do that," Gretel shot back before saying for softly, "I love you, too." With their call ended, Gretel tossed her phone to the side and was about to resume packing the Beanies up but found she couldn't. Gretel wasn't ready yet to let this part of their story go.

* * *

Gretel went into her and Manfred's house, calling out, "If you and Gwen are horizontal hula-ing in there warn me now so I can leave!"

Manfred walked out his bedroom clearly looking like he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. "Gwen's not here. She's dealing with some Fairy business."

Gretel was in the kitchen making coffee and paused to say, "I still can't believe that Fairies are real. Are the leaders or whoever she's meeting with really that pissed?"

Manfred leaned against the counter and took a mug of coffee from her. "She used Dark Fairy Magic, which is apparently a big no-no in the Fairy community – Set off a bunch of red flags, but she'll be fine. Might not be allowed back into the Realm for awhile but according to Gwen that's just a slap on the wrist."

Gretel sipped at her coffee and looked her brother over. "You look like hell, Freddie. Still having nightmares?"

"You're not?" Manfred questioned, knowing that at one point after the battle with Colconnar that she did.

"It's been awhile." Gretel was serious about that. They had become less and less frequent as time went on, but it seemed like for Manfred they were getting worse. "Do I need to be worried about you?"

Manfred scoffed an amused chuckle. "I'm good. As long as you keep making the coffee this strong, that is." The last thing he wanted was to dump more stuff onto Gretel because she was already dealing with Marcus's new status on top of who they saw in the new hotel's window when the renovations began. So, yeah, he was not going to tell her what was going on.

"How's Marcus doing? He coming back to Midnight any time soon?" Manfred took a long drink to shield himself in a way from Gretel's glare.

"He says once he's made up for all the souls that he hadn't collected over the years that things will get better, but who knows how long that's going to be."

Manfred gave his sister a side-hug. "As weird as it is, I get it. I miss him too." It was still weird for him to have a little bit of Flame in him thanks to Gretel's blood.

Gretel appreciated the fact Manfred could understand to a degree, but it also made it a little harder to admit things were strained between her and Marcus. It was the truth, but she didn't want to admit that.

"It's not just that, Freddie." Gretel moved aside to step out of his hug. "I love Marcus, I do, but…"

Manfred could tell what Gretel was thinking just by the look on her face. "You're worried. You're worried that you loved the Dragon and not the Reaper, Flame be damned?"

Gretel nodded because Manfred hit the nail right on the head with that one. "I know it's crazy because Marcus was both when I fell for him but it's different now. And it doesn't help anything that he's gone almost all the time so I can't even try and figure out what I feel outside of the Flame." She finished her coffee and set it on the counter behind her. "Whoever said that separation makes the heart grow fonder deserves a swift kick in the rear."

Manfred almost had a spit-take moment when she said that. "Nice, Gretel."

"Your nose not so much." Gretel picked up napkin and handed it to her brother. "Your nose is bleeding."

Manfred accepted the napkin but found that it wasn't blood, but some black goo that had been oozing out every once and awhile since the group Demonic possession. "I'll be right back." Manfred went straight to the bathroom to keep Gretel from seeing.

Gretel thought this was a bit suspicious and followed him but he closed the door on her. This just made her all the more suspicious. "I mean it, Freddie, do I need to worry about you?"

Manfred, standing in the bathroom with the door closed, looked at the black forming around his cuticles and the towel covered in black goo as he answered, "I'm fine, Sis. Promise."

* * *

Ever since Marcus had gone on his soul collection 'missions' (as Olivia referred to them as), Olivia had been putting in more of an effort to spending time with Gretel. Partly because she felt she should get to know the girl who was her son's Flame (yes, she openly referred to Marcus as her son now), but the other part was because she wanted to keep an eye on Gretel.

There was no obvious reason as to why Olivia wanted to make sure Gretel didn't stray, but with Marcus being gone so much she wanted to make sure that Gretel wasn't feeling the separation between them deeply enough to find comfort elsewhere.

None of this went against what Olivia's opinion of Gretel was. In fact, she truly cared about her but this was her son's wellbeing she was thinking about, and if she had to choose between Gretel and Marcus – Well, Marcus would get that choice any day.

Of course Gretel had no idea the ulterior motive behind all the time they spent together. Gretel thought Olivia wanted to get to know her better since she was more in their lives now. She didn't even consider the idea otherwise – despite the fact that she originally thought the invitations were a bit suspicious when they first started, but now they were just a part of her day.

Presently Gretel sat with Olivia at one end of the table in the Midnighter's room at the restaurant with the other Midnighters scattered throughout the room for their meal. After saying that they missed Madonna's cooking since she was away on a cruise, Gretel spoke to Olivia about Marcus's recent phone call.

"He said he basically has to reach some sort of soul quota before things slow down. I don't think I put too much thought into what being a Reaper meant for him." Gretel poked at her meal, avoiding eye contact with Olivia.

"Marcus suppressed that part of himself for a long time. He always leaned more towards being a Dragon than a Reaper. I don't even think he thought he'd ever have to choose a side." Olivia took a bite of her food before asking, "Did he mention when he was coming home?"

"As soon as he can," that's all Gretel knew about that so she cut the conversation short by turning to Manfred to ask him something. Before the words even came out of her mouth she saw how Manfred seemed to be in a bit of a daze. "Freddie?" when he didn't respond she snapped her fingers in front of his face – An act that did the trick.

"You okay Freddie?" Gretel was starting to think she should be worrying more about her brother than she currently was.

"I was just thinking about Tri-" Manfred was cut off when Gretel slapped her hand over his mouth.

"We do not speak her name. Speaking her name gives her power." Gretel pointed firmly at him with her free hand before removing the one over his mouth and returning to her seat – A seat that she bolted out of to keep her brother from finishing his sentence.

Since Olivia had finished her meal, she looked over at the siblings. "Are you ever going to tell us who the chick is you never talk about?"

"Manfred's ex," Gretel answered in a way that made it clear that was all she was going to say about that.

Manfred, however, wanted to say more. "I get you don't want to know what happened, but I do. Like what the hell was she doing in Midnight?"

"I don't give a damn why she's here or how she died," Gretel snapped back. "That chick was bad news in life and I doubt it's any different in death." To emphasize how done she was with this conversation, she turned to Olivia who was working on her laptop. "You find out anything about the hotel?"

Olivia knew when to segue and when to stand firm and this was definitely a time to change subjects. "I did. I was going to wait until after our…tasty breakfast, but we have business to discuss."

She waited for the rest of the group to move around her so they could see the computer screen before continuing. "I dug up some dirt on the hotel renovation. Not sure why the cone of silence, but they didn't have a website until yesterday. And now it's some kind of spa retreat thing called –"

Fiji finished Olivia's sentence for her. " **Crystal Desert?** That's my territory." She was clearly not pleased by this whatsoever.

Olivia looked back to her saying, "Sorry, Fij," before getting back to the computer. "And get this. They're fully booked for the next month."

"Why so suspicious?" Bobo was curious to know.

Fiji lightly teased when she answered him with, "Have you met Olivia?"

"I'm with Olivia on this," Gretel interjected. "No one comes to Midnight for no reason."

"My point exactly," Manfred was referring to what he and his sister were talking about beforehand.

Gretel glared at him in a way to tell him to shut the hell up because there was no way she was going to talk about _**her**_ again.

Joe happened to agree with Olivia and Gretel about this. "Why would anyone want to visit Midnight? It's not exactly a tourist destination."

"Because of him." Olivia clicked a link and brought up a picture of a man standing with a red-headed woman. "Healer Kai. Has a huge following of the desperate and delusional."

"Well, if it quacks like a cult…" Bobo was cut off when Rev asked,

"How do you know he's not legit?"

"He's wearing Lululemon," Olivia answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She turned the computer around for Gretel and Manfred to see better. "As much as they're going into Fiji's territory, they're getting into yours, too. They have a Psychic on staff." The image that popped up was of a young man with medium length brown scraggly hair and a scruffy beard.

Gretel almost didn't believe her eyes when she saw the picture of the Psychic that popped up. " _ **Him**_?" She snapped her fingers in front of Manfred's face to pull him out of whatever he was thinking about again and pointed to the screen. "Are you seeing this right now?"

It took Manfred a second to react. When he, too, saw the picture he didn't believe it. "Whoa…is that Declan?" Shorten the hair and take away the beard and it was definitely the Declan they knew.

"This can't be happening." Gretel slouched down in her seat, still not believing that he was now in town.

Olivia looked between the siblings, wanting to know what was going on because she was clearly missing something. "You two know this guy?"

"Gretel's ex," Manfred answered, causing Gretel to get up and leave the room. "Didn't end well."

Olivia narrowed her eyes a bit and made a mental note to keep an even closer eye on Gretel than she already had been. If her ex was in town then that could end up being a recipe for trouble.

Manfred steered the topic of conversation back to the hotel and away from Gretel's past love life. "Don't worry about the hotel. It'll be out of business in three months tops." When no one seemed to get why, he added in, "Ghosts. Gretel and I saw them when they started the renovation. Haunted hotels don't exactly rate well on Yelp." Which of course made him want to find out why his own ex was haunting there.

Olivia chuckled along with the rest of them but had something else to say before their meeting ended. "Well, ghosts or not, we're all going to that Grand Opening." She closed the laptop and made her final point clear, "Gretel included."

Olivia looked back to the Hotel's Psychic page and asked Manfred, "If the Hotel is haunted, why didn't this guy pick up on it?"

The answer to that was relatively simple. "He's not that kind of Psychic. He's more of an Oracle card reading, palm holding, tea pouring kind of Psychic than a Ghost seeing one."

Olivia shrugged a bit with a nonchalant, "Whatever," before moving onto the next order of business.

* * *

Gwen stood in a dark room with a spotlight shining above her head. She had heard of this room before in the Realm – the Room of Judgement, a place where her Magic was nullified. Not even her Visions could be seen in this place, so she had no idea what was happening back in Midnight. This is where her fate would be decided for her actions – for her so-called crimes.

Before coming to the Fairy Realm for this event, Gwen played it off to Manfred like it was nothing – that a slap on the wrist would be all she would get. When truly…it could be far worse than that. It could be far more fatal than that.

Gwen stood in her spotlight with her eyes looking forward into the darkness in front of her. She had been standing there since her arrival to the Realm with no real sense of how much time had passed. Gwen knew they were testing her will and she was determined not to be the one to break.

Either her Judgementors (what judges were called in the Realm) had grown impatient or she proved something to them, but finally a voice echoed around her even though no face could be seen.

"Are you aware of your crimes?"

"I am aware of your reasons for my being here, yes," Gwen replied, not about to say what she did was a crime because she truly did not believe it was.

The Judgementors took note of this. A woman's voice echoed around her, "You do not believe your actions were a crime against the Realm?"

"I did a Dark act for the right reasons. It led to answers to defeat the Demon and close the Veil. A Demon who would not only have turned the Human realm to Hell but would have eventually found its way to this Realm as well," Gwen answered, keeping her eyes locked straight in front of her.

"Dark Magic is forbidden! Especially the spells of your bloodline," one voice echoed while another added in,

"Spells that have not been forfeited."

It seemed they did not care the reasons, only the fact that Dark Fairy Magic had been used. Gwen honestly didn't know where the book of Spells was. She gave it to Fiji to hide and that was the end of that. Something she made sure to say,

"I cannot forfeit what I do not have."

Things were silent for a few moments before a voice – a deeper, louder voice declared, "For your crimes of using Dark Magic you will forfeit your Fairy Magic and your place in the Realm. You will be banished to the Human realm and your Brand relinquished."

Before Gwen could say a word, the same voice had one more decree, "However! We will allow you one final use of your Fairy Magic – whether it be Dark or Light, a large spell or a menial one – **One** final use. After this, your Brand will burn out of your skin, your Fairy Magic will cease, and all access to the Realm forbidden! This judgement is final!"

Gwen tried to speak, to make her case, but the light above her went dark. The floor beneath her vanished and she fell into the darkness that would soon send her back to Midnight.

* * *

Since Manfred sent Gretel a text that he was headed to Dallas for a Psychic reading for one of his regulars, Gretel found herself without someone to talk her out of what she was presently doing; walking up and down the street across from the new hotel. Gretel had no intentions of going in there, especially given whose Ghost was there, but that didn't stop her from wearing a path into the sidewalk.

Declan was inside the hotel, looking at Gretel through the window. He had no idea that she was there and wanted more than anything to go out and see her but he held back. It'd been years since he'd seen Gretel, but he'd know her anywhere. Alas, that didn't mean he _knew_ her now.

Kai walked up behind Declan and followed his line of sight. "Is she the one you keep mentioning?" He stepped closer to the window and watched as Gretel walked up the street and back down it again. "She looks like who you have described."

"That chapter of my life ended a long time ago." Declan moved away from the window and walked around the pool in the center of the room as he went.

Kai followed him. "You want to reopen it. I can tell."

Declan stopped in his tracks and turned to him. "Of course I do! But it will never happen. I gave her an ultimatum, Kai. I made her choose between me and her brother and it's pretty damn obvious who she chose. We both wrote the ending to our story and no matter what I may still feel doesn't change a thing."

"You don't know that," Kai countered. "Much time has passed. You should talk to her – The day of the Grand Opening if not before. You may be surprised." He turned to the window before looking back to Declan. "After all, she is not pacing out there for no reason."

Outside, Gretel finally stopped pacing. She may not want to know why a particular ghost was haunting the Hotel but she wanted answers from the other person 'haunting' the place. She was about to take the first step to cross the street but stopped when her cellphone rang.

Gretel reached into her back pocket and upon seeing it was Marcus, she answered the call and instead of crossing the street to the Hotel, she made her way home. "Hey, Marcus. Yeah…everything's fine…"

* * *

Gretel waited outside the Hotel for Manfred the day of the Grand Opening because she needed to talk to him first. When he finally made an appearance and walked down the street towards her, she closed the gap between them and smacked his shoulder.

Manfred had a very distinct 'ow' look on his face after she did that. "What was that for?"

"Because you're an ass! You left me alone knowing Declan was in town. I almost went in there yesterday and confronted him!" Gretel crossed her arms with a huff.

Manfred winced a bit at that because she had a point. "Yeah, you should never be around Declan without a chaperone. You'd either kill him or jump his bones."

Gretel gasped when he said that and went in for another whack but he dodged her this time. "That's not funny."

"I didn't think I was. I do however think it's accurate. You said it yourself that things between you and Marcus have been strained since the whole Reaper thing. With you being all jumbled about that, what's to stop you from exploring the 'what ifs' that is Declan?" Honestly, Manfred didn't think that Gretel would do anything like that where Declan was concerned, but still he had to make his point. Gretel had gone through a lot in a short time and even though he didn't expect it from her, he wouldn't blame her for it either.

Gretel didn't answer him one way or another about that and waved her hand towards the Hotel instead. "Let's just get this over with."

Manfred didn't put up and argument and followed her inside the Hotel. It gave off a relaxing vibe and there was a pool right in the middle of the room. He was going to comment on how clean and pretty the place was but saw Declan staring at them from across the room and noticed how Gretel was staring right back.

That whole staring thing wouldn't do either of them any good, so Manfred said to his sister, "Go rip off the Band-Aid. I'm right here."

Gretel took a deep breath and nodded before making her way through the crowd and around the pool to where Declan stood.

"You haven't changed a bit. A little more scruffier, but still you." That was Gretel's greeting to her one and only ex.

Declan hadn't expected anything more from her as far as a 'hello' went. He didn't deserve it. "You've hardly changed at all. More mature and more beautiful which I didn't think was possible."

Gretel scoffed at this. "What are you doing here, Declan?"

"I work for Kai. We crossed paths a little while back and offered me a job when he realized I was the real deal." Declan waited a moment before telling her, "I swear I didn't know you were here."

"Well I am," she shot back. "And I'm in a relationship so don't get any ideas in that head of yours." Gretel felt a bit self-centered for assuming Declan was doing that, but she had to make herself clear just in case her assumption was correct.

Declan didn't reply to that and instead said something to her that he should have said a long time ago. "I'm sorry, Gretel. About everything that happened before…I should have never tried to make you choose."

Gretel couldn't argue with him there. "Yeah, you shouldn't have," she shot back but he wasn't the only one at fault for what happened and admitted it to a degree. "But maybe there were mistakes made on both ends. Maybe."

Declan chuckled a bit and held up his hands. "What can I say? We were both young, stupid…"

Gretel cut him off there. " _You_ were stupid."

Declan gave her that and nodded. " _I_ was stupid. But you have to admit that we were both…"

Gretel finished his sentence for him. "Crazy, selfish…"

This time Declan was the one to cut her off, locking his eyes with hers. "In love."

Gretel scoffed lightly then nodded slightly because she couldn't disagree. Her voice was soft when she answered, "Yeah, that too."

Olivia who was with Fiji at the crystal table saw Gretel and Declan across the way and didn't like the looks being exchanged between them so she excused herself and went right over to them. "Gretel I need to steal you away." She turned to Declan to introduce. "I'm Olivia. The mother of Gretel's boyfriend. He's a Reaper and also her literal soulmate so don't get any ideas."

Gretel would have face-palmed in that moment if she could have, but instead said, "Olivia…" but didn't get the chance to finish her sentence because of what Declan said.

"You have nothing to worry about, Olivia. Gretel has already made it clear she belongs with another. Your son is lucky to have her." Declan took that moment to excuse himself, so he bowed his head and did just that.

Gretel didn't appreciate how Olivia jumped in like that. "That wasn't necessary."

"Neither were the eyes you two were giving each other," Olivia retorted. "If Marcus was here…"

"If Marcus was here I still would have had a conversation with Declan." Gretel scoffed heavily before adding in, "If you don't trust me I would really like you to just say it."

Olivia didn't hold back and came right out with it. "Fine. I don't trust you. Not where Marcus is concerned."

Even though Gretel suspected it, she didn't think Olivia would be like that about it. "Marcus and I may be going through something right now but I would never willingly do anything to hurt him and I sure as hell wouldn't cheat on him. Marcus has my _soul_ but you gotta understand something, Olivia. Declan was the first one to ever have my heart and what happened between us left some cracks behind. So forgive me for trying to fix that."

Gretel had enough of this and wasn't going to stick around for the Grand Opening any longer, so she walked away from Olivia and said to Fiji on her way out, "Let me know how this all goes. I'm out."

Before Fiji or anyone else could stop her from leaving, Gretel left the Hotel without another word.

* * *

For something to do since there wasn't much money in the whole Psychic department where Gretel was concerned, she took Bobo up on his offer to work as a bartender at the Cartoon Saloon. Bobo bought the White Supremacist run biker bar and turned it into a much better place. Lemuel worked security and Joe was a fellow bartender.

She was bringing a pitcher of beer and glasses over to Chuy and Olivia's table and caught the tail end of a story she'd heard a half a dozen times that night; That the healer Kai walked on water and healed a paralyzed elderly man to the point where he could walk again. Olivia, like a few others, believed he was a con man and the guy was an actor but Gretel herself wasn't too sure since she didn't see it for herself.

"I don't know," Gretel said as she poured. "When I was a kid I knew this girl who could heal people. That was her gift."

"What happened to her?" Chuy asked before taking a sip of beer.

"Her gift turned out to be a curse. With every ailment she took in it took away a part of her lifeforce. She didn't know it and died way too soon because of it." Gretel didn't know if Kai was the same way but she knew the power existed. "Maybe Kai's got a similar gift. Not all miracles are for show."

Gretel left it at that and returned to the bar, but Olivia wasn't convinced. She heard Olivia say just as much to Chuy that the guy had to be a con man because no one ever just settled down in Midnight – they either go there because they're running from someone or got something to hide.

Now as much as Gretel couldn't really argue with that, she wasn't planning on doing anything to find out. Especially not with Declan being a staple at the place. Speak of the Devil, as soon as Gretel looked to the door he walked right into it.

"Wonderful," she muttered to herself as he sat at the bar. "What can I get you?"

Declan didn't go there to drink. "I need to talk to you."

"If you're here to drink then I can help you. If not, can't." Gretel pulled out a glass and set it on the bar. "So what can I get you?"

Declan in turn placed a shadow card on top of the glass to get her attention. "Something dark is going to happen to someone you care about, Gretel." He pulled out the rest of his cards and set them on the bar beside the glass. "Reread for yourself if you don't believe me."

Gretel gathered up the cards with a scoff because she didn't buy it. After looking to make sure all the various cards were there, she returned the shadow to the deck and shuffled them. She shuffled them until she felt she should stop then flipped the first card over; It was the shadow card.

"Coincidence." Gretel eyed Declan and flipped over another card and once again was a shadow. She flipped again and again and again then turned the entire deck over to find each card of the deck was now a shadow card.

Declan saw the look of shock and worry on her face so he reached out and took the deck from her hands and gathered the others. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Since his message was given he left the Saloon in case anyone decided to give him some trouble.

Gretel tried not to think about shadow cards and went back to pouring drinks, only to find that her hands her shaking. Because of this, she went over to Bobo and asked to leave early because she didn't feel well.

Bobo could see how pale she looked and didn't argue with her. Before he had a chance to ask if she needed a ride back, Gretel was out the door.

Olivia saw Gretel's quick exit and added that to the list of mysteries that needed to be solved in Midnight.

* * *

After leaving the Saloon, Gretel left numerous messages for Manfred but when she didn't hear anything back she started to worry, especially since he wasn't at the house. If the Oracle cards were any indication of what was to possibly come, she needed to make sure Manfred knew about it while making sure not to alarm the others without more info.

It was that frame of mind that brought Gretel to Marcus's apartment. She needed to do something to distract herself so she didn't end up asking every person she saw if they'd seen Manfred. So to distract herself she did what Marcus asked her to; She packed up his Beanie Babies collection. Well, she packed up most of them and kept out the ones that had sentimental value above the others.

It wasn't until the last Beanie was packed that Gretel fell asleep and she didn't wake up until the next morning when Manfred texted saying he was at the restaurant and wanted to know where she was. His text sounded as worried as she had been the previous night so she went straight to the restaurant and didn't bother changing into a clean set of clothes.

Gretel tied back her hair as she walked down the street and Manfred was the first person she saw when she walked into the business. "Where the hell were you last night?"

Manfred sighed in relief when he saw Gretel and hugged her tight before answering. "I ended up in the drunk tank in Davy."

Gretel thought there was something suspicious about that. "You've never ended up in a drunk tank unless you _wanted_ to end up there. What's going on, Freddie?"

Manfred chuckled, "Nothing. What did you want to talk to me about?"

Gretel still wasn't satisfied with his answer but was going to fill him in anyway. She cocked her head for him to move away from the busy counter so she could speak relatively freely. "Declan came by the Saloon last night with his Oracle cards. I did the reread because I didn't believe him about the shadow card, but Freddie, every single card turned into a shadow one. Something dark is happening but I have no idea what it is."

Manfred acted like it was no big deal. "Are you sure Declan isn't doing one of his tricks to get your attention? Turning a deck into one suit is one of his tricks."

"Yeah, with a poker deck. Not with his great-grandmother's hand-painted Oracle deck." Gretel got the message Manfred's raised eyebrow was giving her. "Okay, maybe it was just a trick. It's not like I _thoroughly_ examined the cards." Even with saying that, she didn't think she was wrong but didn't want to blow things out of proportion either.

"Maybe you should do a reading of your own," Manfred suggested. "It might give you some clarity."

Gretel already thought of that. "I was going to, but I can't find my deck anywhere. I had them in the box on the mantle, you know, but when I went to get them last night they weren't there. Did you take them for your client reading?"

Manfred shook his head because he honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her cards. "No – It wasn't that kind of reading. Look, you've been bouncing back and forth between our place and the apartment so they're probably there. I wouldn't worry about it."

He could see the hesitation on Gretel's face so he reached out and put his hands on her shoulders in a reassuring manner. "Even with everything that's been going on, things are calmer in Midnight. I still think Declan was just looking for a way to get back into your world, but if something does come up we'll deal with it."

Gretel sighed but nodded because she trusted him. "Okay."

Manfred smiled and hugged her again, hoping she didn't figure out that the darkness she was being warned about was the Demonic residue problem that he was trying to deal with on his own.

Gretel couldn't shake the feeling that there was something Manfred wasn't telling her, but she didn't let him in on that suspicion. Instead, she pulled back from the hug with a smile. "You're right. Declan being around is messing with me a bit. It's all good." She pointed backwards to the exit. "I have to take care of a couple things for Bobo. I'll see you later."

Apparently Manfred took her at her word because he didn't say anything to stop her.

* * *

Gretel was telling the truth, she did have an errand to run for Bobo but that wasn't the only thing she planned on doing. She intended on doing a little snooping…in her own house.

She waited until she was sure Manfred wasn't in the house before going back and starting her search. Gretel started in the living room, looking under furniture and such to see if Manfred was hiding anything there but came up empty. After checking out the kitchen she went into Manfred's room – a room that she was honestly avoiding because she wasn't sure what she was going to find there.

Gretel went into Manfred's closet first and that's where she found a box she didn't recognize. It was a small wicker box, no bigger than a bread box. She set it on the bed and unlatched it. Inside Gretel not only found her tarot cards but other things that had mystical value of one kind or another – jewelry, crystals, charms, all belonging to Gretel.

She didn't even realize this stuff had gone missing but it wasn't like she was in a dire need for it. None of it made sense though. Why the hell would Manfred take it?

Gretel closed up the box and put it in her room before going into the bathroom. She threw some water in her face as a sort of wake up before preparing herself for the line of questioning she was going to ask her brother as soon as he got home.

She reached out to the rack for a towel but didn't find one there. This made her look to the floor in case they fell and sure enough Gretel found them…inside the waste basket and covered in black goo.

Gretel reached out and picked up one of the towels. As soon as she touched it with both hands the many shadow cards appeared in her mind. "Declan was right," she gasped and set the towel onto the sink to take a picture of it. As soon as she did, she sent it to Fiji with a message reading 'SOS. Something's wrong with Manfred'.

"Dammit," Gretel seethed as she went out into the living room. She blamed herself for not seeing signs sooner – for not realizing it sooner. It wasn't blood that day, it was the black goo coming from Manfred's nose. Gretel was so caught up in her own stuff that she dropped the ball where her brother was concerned, but no more. She was going to make things right.

Unfortunately she wasn't going to get very far with her plans because Manfred seemed to appear out of nowhere, standing in front of her exit.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked her, his voice and demeanor not his usual self. He sounded…darker.

"I gotta get to my shift at the Saloon." That was a lie and hoped he wouldn't remember she had that night off. "Don't worry," she laughed lightly, "I'm not going to go see Declan. I've learned my lesson there. And besides, I think Olivia is tailing me now or something." Gretel was doing her best to act like she didn't know anything was wrong but was probably failing that just like she felt like she had failed him.

"She should," Manfred smiled, showing how the black goo was now coating his teeth. "If she didn't, you'd spread your legs for Declan like a little whore!"

Gretel's face hardened when he said that. Black goo induced or not, she wasn't going to let him talk to her like that. "Screw you, Manfred."

Manfred stalked towards her and pulled out he knife he had stuck in the back of his belt. "Actually, I would much rather cut you. Cut you over and over again. I wonder if your precious Flame can sense you're about to die? Or perhaps he is still too busy with everyone else to give a damn about you." He grinned wickedly at that.

"He won't sense it. Because it's not going to happen." Gretel went back on a promise she made to Manfred a long time ago and kicked him hard in his family jewels. When he dropped to the floor, groaning in pain, Gretel made a run for it.

Gretel didn't even make it down the porch steps before she felt something hit the back of her head and render her unconscious.

* * *

When Gretel woke up she was bound and gagged in the hatch of a car. She got out of those easily enough since it wouldn't be the first time (story for another time). Even though her head was aching, she pushed through the pain and looked out to see Manfred dragging what looked like Olivia's body away.

"Bad move, Freddie," Gretel said to herself before quietly opening up the hatch to get out. After finding the tire iron, she closed the hatch and went around to the other side of the car out of sight. She kept thinking how Manfred was going to be pissed with her but he _so_ deserved it.

Finally he went back to the car and opened up the hatch. When Gretel heard him close it, she moved around and hit him in the head with the tire iron. "How do you like it, asshole?!" She whacked him again and since he seemed to be unconscious, she went to get the rope from the hatch to tie him up and take him back to Midnight.

"We have got to start communicating better, big brother." Gretel untangled the rope and started to wrap it around Manfred's wrists when he shot up into a sitting position with a loud growl.

Gretel wouldn't admit it later, but right then she screamed and staggered back to the point where she fell on her ass. She started getting up but Manfred grabbed Gretel by her hair and yanked her back before she could.

"You're right, little sister. We do need to communicate better." Manfred threw Gretel to the ground, moved over her, and crouched down. He put both hands around her neck and started to squeeze. "How is this for communication? I am going to kill you now."

Finally it was Manfred's turn to have his plans cut short. Lemuel, with his Vampire speed, ran straight to them and used his energy leeching power on Manfred. Once Manfred was down for the count for real this time, Lemuel started retching and throwing up the black goo that seemed to be infecting Manfred.

Gretel watched this happen then let herself fall back into the sand. "Nice timing, Lem. But how did you know?"

Lemuel helped Gretel get to her feet and after she thanked him, he explained. "Psychic connection – Olivia's in danger."

As if on cue, Olivia walked over to them saying, "No, he just got lucky."

* * *

They got Manfred back to the Pawn Shop, chained him and tied him up, but the black goo was now pouring out of his eyes and ears. He was acting like a rabid beast trying to get out of a trap.

Fiji tried one spell after another but none of them worked because she didn't have a spell for something like that. In fact, she wouldn't even have known it was Demonic residue if it wasn't for Colconnar.

"I could research, but that would take time." Fiji didn't have any other options than that.

"He doesn't have time," Olivia shot back. "Look at him."

Olivia was right about that, it was confirmed when Marcus walked in. "Manfred doesn't have much time left. If something doesn't change…then he is going to die."

Gretel shoved him for that, she couldn't help herself. "That's the first thing you say? Are you being serious right now?!" She started to sob but stopped herself and went over to Manfred. Gretel didn't care that he was contorting and growling, she put her hands on the sides of his face and made him look at her.

"Freddie, look at me. Listen to me. You are my big brother, I am **not** going to lose you like this. I love you." She tried to get through that without her voice breaking, but she failed and tears started to stream down her face.

Manfred clutched onto her words and broke through the control long enough to softly cry, "You have to kill me. Do it. Before I kill you. Kill me. Please." Sounding more feral he shouted at them, "Kill me!"

"No one is going to kill you," Gwen said as she rushed into the room and instantly knew what the problem was and how to fix it. She had seen it before – she had a vision of this happening a long time ago and made sure to know what to do when the events of her vision would unfold.

Without speaking to Manfred again, Gwen turned to the group. "I can fix this. Get a chair and chains and be ready to do to me what you've done to him and I'm not kidding. Now!"

Bobo rushed off to get the chains while Olivia got Gretel out of the way and Fiji put a chair behind Gwen.

"How can you help him?" Fiji needed to know. "Is there a spell?"

"Not one that you could cast. Only a Fairy can cast this spell." Gwen shook her head and realized something. The Judgementors knew, they knew this would happen – that she saw this in a vision – and that's why they gave her one last use of her Fairy Magic. There was no other explanation for it. They were giving her the opportunity to do one last good thing with Darkness.

Fiji wasn't sure she liked the sound of this. "Gwen what are you going to do?" She didn't want anything bad happening to her cousin.

"I'm going to save him," Gwen answered like it was the most important thing in the world to her, because it was. She had fallen for Manfred before she even met him. The constant visions of him for as long as she could remember were the reason behind it and she was not going to lose him.

Before Fiji could say another word, Gwen pressed her fingertips onto Manfred's forehead and started chanting a language no one present could understand. Dark lines started to seep out of Manfred's skin and went into Gwen's until finally Manfred was freed from the Demonic residue because it was now all in Gwen. Now that the spell was complete, her Fairy Wing brand burned out of her skin.

Gwen sat down into the chair and shouted, "Chain me up now!" Since Bobo had returned with the extra chains and such they did as Gwen asked. Almost as soon as they were secured, the black goo started to drain from Gwen's eyes, nose, and ears.

Manfred couldn't believe this was happening, he couldn't let it. "Gwen, no. No! What did you do?!"

Gwen just laughed darkly in reply before saying in mock innocence, "Kill me. Before I kill you. Kill me!" She laughed again before snarling and snapping her teeth at them.

Marcus looked down with a heavy sigh. "I know none of you want to hear this, but while Manfred may now be safe…Gwen doesn't have much time left."

After Gretel finished freeing Manfred from his restraints, he rushed right to Gwen. "No. No. I just got you in my life. I can't lose you."

"You won't have to," Rev answered as he walked in with Kai and his wife Patience behind him. "I know you have your doubts but when I walked into Crystal Desert I sensed it was a special place – That Kai was special. I just believe and with an open mind, I believe you can, too."

"I can help," Kai interjected as he looked at Gwen.

Lemuel wasn't too sure about this. "You have no idea what you're dealing with."

"And you have no idea what I've dealt with," Kai replied with a sigh. "Your friend is afflicted, and I am afraid if I don't help her then she may die."

"If you are going to do something then I suggest you do it now or I will be escorting Gwen's soul to her afterlife." Marcus couldn't make himself any clearer than that.

Manfred stepped back from the snarling Gwen to give Kai room. "Help her."

Gwen laughed Demonically as Kai stepped in front of her. "You think you can stop me? No one can stop me!" Her laughter was cut short when she gasped because Kai put his hand on her forehead and said,

"Be at peace. Be at peace, sister."

Gwen started breathing heavily when Kai removed his hand and stepped back, but before she could say a word, her head threw back as the Demonic residue erupted from her mouth like a fountain of black liquid.

Once it was done, Kai kissed her lips, inhaled black fog from her mouth, and he dropped to the floor to vomit the remainder of the residue. With heavy breaths he told them, "And so it is done."

Manfred darted straight to Gwen and moved some hair out of her face. "Gwen?"

Gwen smiled and laughed lightly, "Well, that was one hell of a welcome home."

Manfred laughed and kissed it, leftover goo on their lips be damned.

Marcus went over to Gretel to say, "I am sorry for being so blunt earlier. There wasn't time for anything else."

Gretel could understand that but it was just another reminder that things were different – that he was different. "Are you home for good?"

Marcus wasn't sure how to answer that. "Until further notice," was all he could say.

Gretel let out a deep sigh. "I guess we'll have to make the most of it then."

* * *

Back at the house, Gretel sat on the couch with a cup of coffee in hand. She was waiting for Manfred to come out of the shower, which he finally did.

Manfred was towel drying his hair when he walked into the room and sat in the chair across from the couch, tossing the towel on the coffee table as he did. "I'm sorry, Gretel. I lied to you. I betrayed your trust. I – I hurt you in a way I never could have imagined doing and I'm so sorry."

"Like I said earlier, Freddie, we really need to work on our communication." Gretel set the mug down on the table. "You weren't in your right mind. I'm not going to hold it against you as long as you don't hold me kicking you in your pants against me."

Manfred was so relieved to hear that. "Deal. Thank you, Gretel. And I promise I will make it up to you."

Gretel didn't respond to that one way or another and got up to go. "Marcus is waiting for me. I should go."

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Manfred needed to hear it, to have some semblance of normal back.

Gretel nodded. "Yeah. For breakfast." Leaving it at that, she left the house and passed Gwen on the way.

As Gwen walked in, Manfred went straight to her. He could tell there was something…not wrong, but different. "You doing alright? Did Kai's ritual mess with you? Because if I did I swear I'll go over there and kick his ass right now." He was partially joking about that.

"While I appreciate the unneeded gesture, it's not that." Gwen took his hands in hers. "I need to talk to you. Uhm…I – I'm different now. I – I'm not a Fairy anymore. Well, I still am…technically, but I can't use that Magic anymore."

Manfred wasn't sure what that meant or how that could even be possible. "Wha - What do you mean? How…"

Gwen brought Manfred over to the couch and sat down with him. "What I have to tell you about my trip to the Fairy Realm will explain everything…"

* * *

End Season 2 Episode 1


	12. Where can I sign up?

**A/N: I used Google Translate for the Romanian passage. Sorry for any inaccuracies.**

* * *

Marcus woke up in his bed to find Gretel wasn't laying there beside him. He had a feeling where she was so he got up and went into what was previously his collection room. It wasn't the first time since he'd been back in Midnight that he found Gretel in that room just moving around all the empty shelves before locking eyes upon the few that were left and that night was no different.

He stood in the doorway and leaned against it with crossed arms, watching her make her way around the empty shelves again. Marcus figured he knew why she did it. He believed it was because she missed what was once placed there, but decided to ask anyway. "Why do you do that?"

"It's quiet." Gretel replied as she slid her hand across the smooth wood of a shelf, still able to name each Beanie that was once placed there. "Some had voices attached and I could hear them all the time, but now it's quiet. I'm still trying to get used to it."

Marcus was surprised to hear that answer. "You never said there were voices before." He figured she would have mentioned something as important as that.

Gretel picked up Scorch and gently slid her hand across a wing. "It wasn't important." Hearing voices was all part of her territory. She didn't see the point of mentioning it every time she heard one if the situation didn't deem it necessary.

"Everything about you is important." Marcus wanted to make sure she knew that. After a moment he observed, "I thought the voices bothered you." If things were quiet now, why wasn't she pleased? After all, her own home was inhospitable to the dead and she seemed to find comfort in that.

Gretel returned Scorch with a light scoff. "That was before, Marcus. I've gotten used to them. Not even the Pawn Shop bothers me anymore. After the intense quiet of home it's a…nice change of pace to hear them." She took a jab at him as she walked past, saying, "If you were around more, you'd already know that."

Marcus followed her out into the living room, honestly hoping they would have an argument to finally get out what was bothersome. His first night back he thought it would happen but Gretel didn't say a word about it and pretended everything was fine. Marcus knew things weren't fine. Even if he couldn't sense it, he'd know. Marcus knew Gretel's eyes well enough by now to know what she was feeling.

"I thought you understood why I had to leave. You understood my compulsion for one collection, why not another?" Alright, he knew they were most certainly not the same thing but the compulsion to collect was the same to a certain degree.

Gretel rubbed her forehead with a heavy sigh. "I do understand, Marcus. Okay? I do. It's just…" She didn't want to get into it because she was worried she might end up saying something that would be regretted. "It's not important. Let's just go back to bed."

"Didn't I just say everything about you is important?" Marcus stayed right where he stood. "No. Neither of us are leaving this room until we have this discussion. It's eating away at you, at us. I won't stand for it any longer."

"What do you want me to say, Marcus?!" Gretel shouted back, finally starting to bubble over. "You want me to say that I felt like as soon as we could breathe and start our life for real that you up and left? Do you want me to tell you that it hurt to pack up your collection room and close that chapter of our life? Do you want me to tell you that I miss the Dragon in you? Is that what you want to hear?!" So much for not saying something that she'd likely regret.

Marcus took every elevated word thrown at him and waited until she asked her last question before answering. "If that is the truth then yes. I want to hear it all."

Gretel crossed her arms and turned away before looking back to him and getting at something that was still bothering her – something that happened before they defeated Colconnar. "You didn't even give me a hint of what you were going to do. You never said a word. I _knew_ you weren't going to die but you let me believe you were going to. And when you lived I was _so happy_ – _we_ were happy. And then you left. I was just starting to get to know the new you and you disappeared!"

"I haven't changed, Gretel. I may be full Reaper but I am still the man you fell in love with and you are still my Flame." It was that simple for him. His love for her didn't falter and in fact grew stronger. The fact he lost his Dragon half didn't matter, not where his love for her was concerned.

"I was your Dragon's Flame," Gretel countered with more intensity than intended. "The Flame may not have died, but tell me something, Marcus; If there was nothing supernatural between us – if I wasn't your Flame and my Mancer side wasn't drawn to your Reaper status, if we were two Humans who bumped into each other at the Gas 'n' Go, would we even be here right now? Would you have given me a second look?"

"Yes." Marcus's answer was instant and without hesitation.

Gretel scoffed an incredulous chuckle at that because she wasn't entirely sure she believed him. "How can you be so sure?"

"Because when I first met you and Manfred at the Restaurant and I wasn't sure which of you was my Flame, I prayed it wasn't Manfred. Not because he was a man but because since the first moment I saw you I belonged to you completely." Marcus knew he was using a quote from some sort of literature that Gretel once quoted to him, but that didn't change how true it was. Nothing else could say it was perfectly as that.

When Gretel said nothing and tears started to well in her eyes, Marcus turned her question around even though a part of him was dreading to know the answer in case it wasn't one he wanted to hear. "Your turn. If there was nothing supernatural between us – if you weren't my Flame and my Reaper wasn't drawn to your Mancer, if we were two Humans who bumped into each other at the Gas 'n' Go, would we be here right now? Would you have given me a second look?"

Gretel looked into his fiery red eyes and answered honestly with all her heart, "Yes."

Marcus wasn't going to let himself get too relieved too soon. "How can you be so sure?" Once again he used Gretel's words upon her.

Gretel sniffled back her tears as she answered, "Because, whether or not I realized it at the time, I knew we were destiny before I even met you. The second I caught a glimpse of you when I came to Midnight, I knew I had to get to know you - My mysterious tumbleweed."

Marcus had no idea what tumbleweeds had to do with anything, but it didn't matter. He went straight to Gretel, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her deeply. When she cupped his face and returned the kiss, Marcus scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to the bedroom…

* * *

She wasn't meant to be in Midnight. Hell, she wasn't even sure how she even got there. One second she was in her shop with a client and the next she was bound within the town limits she'd only ever heard about before. To make matters worse…apparently she was a Ghost and she didn't know she could leave the Hotel she appeared in.

She had no idea how she became a Ghost but it was evident that she was one since the Bernardo siblings saw her through the window all those months ago when she pounded upon the window to try and get their attention. It was clear to her then that it was captured but since then…nothing.

Her plan to appear at the Hotel's open house was a bust since both Bernardos left before she even had a chance to reveal herself. So she had to keep waiting until one of their Medium asses came in again so she could make herself officially known. Gathering up strength to push a Oujia board pointer to a letter once every few days was getting pretty old. Damn Declan, if only he was a Medium.

Well, it seemed like luck was on her side that night – even if it wasn't very lucky for another. She slid her hand down the wall of the Hotel's hallway going over who she wanted to spy on next. Would this be something she'd do if she wasn't a Ghost? Probably not, but her entertainment was pretty damn limited.

She was about to make her way to another floor when she heard what sounded like was a fight coming from the nearby room. With a looked of intrigue upon her face, she moved right through the door and into the hotel room to find another Ghost drowning one of the patrons.

"What the hell!" She shouted and tried to get the Ghost off the guy they were drowning in the tub but just like any other time she came into contact with a Ghost, she burned.

Her hands practically glowed red from the burns of the contact with a fellow Ghost and due to being so focused on that, she didn't even realize the Ghost had vanished. What was noticed was Manfred Bernardo bursting his way into the room with that red-head Patience with him.

Manfred must have been so focused on the dead body in the tub because he didn't notice her standing there. Not until she said, "Manfred…"

Upon hearing his name being spoken by an all too familiar voice, Manfred slowly stood up and turned around. It was one thing knowing she was there but it was an entirely different feeling seeing her there. "Trisha?"

Trisha almost cried because finally she could be seen and heard – well if she was capable of crying in her current state she would have. Since this wasn't possible for her, she spoke with a breath of relief, "Hey, Manny."

Manfred was stunned for a number of reasons in that moment. One being because a Ghost had just killed a Hotel patron and another because Trisha's Ghost was standing right in front of him. Yeah, he was going to need a moment or two to process this. Well that and one hell of a drink.

"Who are you talking to, Manfred?" Patience asked of him. "Are they the ones that killed this poor soul?"

Trisha saw the look Manfred was giving her and pointed a firm yet semi-transparent finger towards him. "I know that look. Do not give me that look. I am not a goddamn murderer of the innocent and you know this."

Trisha had him there. He knew she wasn't a murderer of the innocent. A murderer of those who deserved it, yes, but not the innocent. That was why he had no doubt when he said to Patience, "No, she's not."

* * *

While they were waiting for the authorities to arrive, Manfred found a spot away from everyone to talk to Trisha. "Did you see the Ghost that killed him?"

"All Ghosts look the same to me, Manny. They're all smoky blobs that burn like hell when I touch them." Trisha rubbed her hands then because just mentioning it was enough to make her feel the residual burns.

None of what she told him made any sense. "That's – that's impossible. And how long have you been dead and in Midnight?"

"I'm not dead," Trisha shot back with conviction then thought about it for a moment. "At least I didn't think I was. Look, Manny, I don't know what happened, okay? One second I was with a client and the next thing I know I'm in this godforsaken Hotel trying to get your attention. Do you have any idea what it's like to not be seen or heard? It's **torture**."

Manfred was trying to make sense of everything she was telling him but no sense did it make. "Trisha, in order for your Ghost to be here, you would have had to die here."

"I've never stepped one foot in Midnight. Not one living foot anyway." Trisha looked around to make sure no one was listening to Manfred's half of their conversation.

Manfred couldn't deal with this right now nor could he try to figure it out, not when there was a murderous Ghost on the loose. "What you're saying doesn't sound Ghost-like, but we'll have to talk about this later. Can you leave the Hotel?"

Trisha honestly didn't know the answer to that. "Huh. I – I don't know. I haven't tried." The looked Manfred gave her in response to that pissed her off. She could tell he was pretty much calling her out for not thinking of the most obvious first thing to try, or something along those lines.

Trisha wanted to smack him on the back of the head for that but she couldn't for two reasons – One, she was a Ghost or whatever the hell she was since Manfred didn't seem too convinced she was a Ghost. And two, because she was working on taming her violent tendencies with her therapist. She wasn't going to stray from a good tongue lashing, however. "Do not give me that look, Manfred Bernardo. I have had a lot of things to deal with since appearing here and I will not stand here and allow you to judge me."

Manfred cut her off before she got any further. "Alright, fine, just try. If you can I'll meet you at the Restaurant once I finish dealing with this Ghost mess but do not go anywhere near Gretel."

Trisha rolled her eyes at that. "She still holding a grudge against me? Are you?"

"Well you're a possessive control freak who put a mystical GPS on me to track my every move, so…yeah, pretty much." And yet Manfred was giving her moments of his time that he could be spending learning about the Ghost.

Trisha felt a strong need to correct him, so she did. "I _was_ a possessive control freak. That was a long time ago, Manfred. I've been in therapy for awhile now and shocker I know, but it works."

Manfred felt like his mind had been blown but there was no more time he could dedicate to this conversation – to her. "Just try to get to the Restaurant and wait there. You probably can do it, Trisha. I don't think you're a Ghost."

Trisha scoffed as Manfred walked away because she honestly felt like they had gotten nowhere. "You can see me, Manfred! If I'm not a Ghost then what the hell am I?" she asked with arms raised out to her sides. If she wasn't a Ghost then that would explain a lot but like she asked – What the hell was she? If only she could remember what it was her client wanted of her before she ended up waking up in Midnight…

* * *

Gwen was having a late dinner at the Restaurant when a new face walked in. Well, he was new in person but that didn't mean she'd never seen him before. In fact, Gwen had seen him a time or two in a vision before and thus knew who he was on sight.

She whistled from her seat in the Midnighter's Room to get his attention and once she had it, she waved him over. When he pointed at himself in question, Gwen nodded to confirm he was indeed the one she wanted to speak with.

Gwen smiled when he finally decided to join her. "You must be Declan, the new Psychic in town?"

Declan eyed her a bit and turned from one side to another before answering. "Perhaps I am. And you are?"

"I'm Gwen. One of the resident Witches and Fairies in town. Though the Fairy part is rather moot at this point, but no matter." She gestured to the seat at the table across from her. "Care to sit?"

After Declan shrugged and slid into the chair, Gwen asked, "Are you a Medium as well?" She wanted to get some information out of him since she still wasn't sure why she had visions of him in the first place.

Declan picked up the beer bottle that belonged to Gwen and lifted it in a 'cheers' manner. "You don't pull any punches, do you?"

"Why bother?" she asked simply in reply. "Life's too short to beat around the bush."

Declan drank the beer, his expression saying he had to give her that one. He licked his lips after taking the drink and set the bottle aside. "In that case; No, I'm not a Medium. Not all Psychics are Mediums, you know." Declan reached into the inner pocket of his worn out brown leather jacket and produced his Oracle cards as he explained.

"There are four types of Psychics – all from the same tree but different branches, so different gifts." He proceeded to shuffle the cards. "There are the Mediums who can see and communicate with death, the Mancers who can summon and control death, the Travelers who can walk among death whether it be past, present or future, and the Oracles who can predict and read death." Declan leaned forward in his seat to whisper not so secretly, "That's what I am."

As Declan returned to his seat and dealing of his cards, he continued in a normally level tone. "Now all Psychics have the basic talents of reading palms and tarot, but not Oracle cards. They can, however, repeat a reading an Oracle has done if said Oracle wishes to deliver a message to them, but that's not important. What is important is that Oracles are more advanced in what normal people would call 'fortune telling'."

All the cards had been placed on the table but he hadn't turned them over yet and kept his eyes right on Gwen. "For example, just by looking at you I can read that death is tethered to certain branches of your family." Now all the cards had been turned over – the first being Magic and the second Death and the pattern repeated between the two until he flipped the last card. "And I didn't even need to look at these to read it."

Gwen absorbed everything Declan said to her and after what he said about death being tethered to her family, she was rendered speechless. What did that mean? Was this why she saw visions of him – was he going to help her with this so-called tether? She was about to ask him for more of an explanation when sirens were heard from outside and flashing of red and blue lights passed the window.

"Wonder what's going on." Declan barely had a chance to finish his sentence before Gwen was out of her seat and out the door. He wasn't about to miss out on anything, so he gathered up his deck, returned them to his pocket, and followed after her.

The cops and paramedics were outside the Hotel. Gwen could see Gretel and Manfred with Prudence and Kai and it seemed they were deep in conversation but that didn't stop her from going over, with Declan apparently right behind her. "What happened?"

"A Ghost killed a guest," Gretel answered since she'd been filled in on everything that happened. "I felt it happen – that's a new one." It didn't help that Marcus had to leave right after to deal with his Reaper duties.

"That must be one old pissed off Ghost," Declan interjected, doing his best to give Gretel her space because he didn't want to interfere with anything between her and her Reaper lover. "Any idea who it is?"

"It's a woman. I saw her through the window. Pretty sure she's tethered to the room so as long as no one goes in there until we figure it out everyone else should be safe." Manfred cocked his head for Gretel to come with him. "We've got some digging to do."

"Is there any Witchy mojo I can help with?" Gwen didn't just want to stand by and do nothing when Manfred could be risking his life.

"Not right now. Maybe when we have a better idea what we're dealing with." Manfred gave Gwen a quick kiss. "Don't wait up." On that note, he and Gretel headed off to play detective.

Prudence and Kai went back into the Hotel, leaving Declan and Gwen outside together. She was about to ask him more about the reading he did but stopped when she saw the look on his face. It was almost a blend of confusion and realization. "You doing okay there?"

"I – I have to go." Declan darted up and went straight to his room. After going under the bed to pull out a old, wooden chest, he threw the lid open and started digging. Finally he found what he was looking for; an old journal.

Declan carefully yet quickly looked through the yellowed pages of an ancestor's journal until he found what he was looking for. The old handwritten Romanian passage read, ' _Cartile au citit acelasi lucru astazi pe care l-au citit ieri, cu o zi inainte, cu o zi inainte si asa mai departe. Fiecare dintre cele patru ramuri va fi reunită pentru a face răul răului înapoi în gropile iadului. Spiritele vor ghida mediul. Armata morților va sta cu Mancerul. Moartea se va dezvălui Traveler-ului. Toate celelalte vederi vor fi acordate Oracolului. Doar acești patru și numai patru singuri vor lupta cu Întunericul și cu Noaptea Iadului.'_

Declan translated as he read the words, "The cards read the same today as they have read yesterday, and the day before, and the day before and so on. Each of the four branches will be reunited to damn the evil back to the pits of hell. The spirits will guide the Medium. The army of dead will stand with the Mancer. Death shall reveal itself to the Traveler. All other insights shall be granted to the Oracle. Only these four and these four alone shall battle the Dark One and her Knight of Hell."

After reading the last words, he looked over to the Ouija board and saw the pointer had moved again. If this was a real Ghost – real meaning someone who had died – then they would be more powerful than that to move the pointer. This led Declan to come to a different conclusion.

He returned the journal back to the chest and grabbed a piece of note paper from the desk. Declan quickly wrote a note asking, 'Are you a Traveler?', and set it at the top of the board. If the apparent Ghost wasn't a Ghost-Ghost after all then it meant his ancestor's prophecy was coming to play. After all, Manfred was a Medium, Gretel must be a Mancer, he himself was an Oracle, and all that left was the Traveler. But if his hunch was right…they were already here.

Trisha hadn't tried to leave the Hotel yet and looked at the note Declan had written. As soon as her eyes reached the word 'Traveler' it clicked. Suddenly Trisha knew what needed to be done and focused all her energy on her body – on _returning_ to her body and before the connection was made, she pushed the pointer to 'Yes' before disappearing.

Declan felt what a Jedi would have called a disturbance in the Force and looked at the board. Seeing where the pointer was now cinched it and all Declan could think to say was, "Oh boy," because if the Prophecy in the journal was true then Midnight was going to be in for one hell of a ride.

* * *

Since Manfred and Gretel were playing detective where the Ghost attack was concerned, Gwen went to check in on Fiji that morning. She found her cousin distraught in the conservatory looking at all the dead plants in the room. "What happened here?"

Fiji waved her hand out in front of her before placing both upon her hips. "I have no idea. I checked for blight, pixies, everything both natural and not and couldn't find anything to explain this." She looked to Gwen with hope that she might have some sense of what happened. "Any ideas?"

"Might have something to do with Declan's Oracle reading." Gwen leaned back on one of the tables with a sigh. "He said death is connected to certain branches of my family. I'm starting to wonder if my Dark Fairy Magic had more side effects than I thought."

"But you don't have that Magic anymore, so what's the worry?"

"I may not have the Magic or the access to the Realm, but I'm still a Fairy and Dark Magic comes with a price." Gwen tried not to let what Declan said get to her but she was failing. "What if death is the price of saving a life."

"You're not to blame here, Gwen. You hear me? You saved Manfred's life at the risk of your own. I don't care what those Fairies have to say about it, you're not tethered to death." Fiji squeezed Gwen's hands to make sure her point was made.

As much as Gwen wanted to believe Fiji, a part of her just couldn't. She couldn't help but feel like Declan was right and Death was connected to certain parts of her and hoped with every fiber of her being that Manfred wasn't going to pay the price for it.

* * *

Declan waited until Manfred and Gretel went to the Hotel to deal with the Ghost problem to venture into their house. There was something he needed to confirm and had to be alone to do it. It didn't surprise him to find their house wasn't locked – If they needed to make a quick getaway against anything that was dead they couldn't waste time fidgeting with keys.

It didn't take Declan long to find Gretel's room and started setting up the candles on the floor there. After venturing to the bathroom and snagging some of her hair from the brush, he returned to the bedroom.

Declan placed certain talismans and herbs in place before lighting the candles and standing in the circle. With Gretel's hair in hand he spoke an incantation with his eyes open then closed them for the vision to appear.

His head fell back as the images filled his mind of all the evidence that despite being Manfred's sister, she was indeed part Mancer. Declan's eyes shot open as he gasped for air when the visions ended. Now that he had all the information he needed, he gathered up the things and got the hell out of there.

Unfortunately he didn't make a clean getaway. Declan walked out onto the porch and came face to face with a dark haired man with fiery red eyes. This could be none other than the Marcus he'd heard so much about. "Marcus, right? Declan. Uhm…They're not home."

Thanks to Olivia and brief tidbits from Gretel, Marcus knew who this man was. But even if it wasn't for knowing he was Gretel's ex, he already did not like him. Marcus eyed Declan and his bag bit suspiciously. "If neither Manfred or Gretel are here then what are you doing in their home? With a full bag for that matter."

Declan knew this looked pretty bad. "Would you believe me if I said that what I was doing was to help Gretel?"

Marcus' posture straightened upon hearing that. "And what could Gretel possibly need your assistance with?" As far as he knew, nothing had occurred that would need any interference from Declan.

"Nothing…yet," Declan admitted, and instantly regretted it. "Look, I'm not here for any trouble. I'm not trying to get in between you and Gretel or anything like that. I just needed to check something to see if a hunch was right and it was, so yeah."

Marcus crossed his arms, making it clear that Declan wasn't going anywhere until he had some more details. "You are saying a lot of nothing for someone who won't shut up."

Declan dropped his bag beside him and groaned, "Fine. I needed to confirm that Gretel was a Mancer before I presented the problem to her. There aren't a whole lot of Mancers anymore, so I'm pretty limited on options." He picked his bag back up and held his hand out. "Now can I pass or do you want to deck me for being Gretel's ex?"

Marcus grumbled a bit but stepped aside. He did not trust Declan one bit, especially since he was trying to involve Gretel into some unknown problem. Marcus wasn't going to let him pull Gretel into any trouble no matter what.

* * *

Gwen was having a bowl of ice cream in Fiji's kitchen when Fiji frantically came bursting in. If Gwen was eating anything other than ice cream she probably would have choked on it. "Whoa, cuz, where's the fire?"

"What exactly did Declan say about death being tied to your family?" Fiji wasn't trying to blame Gwen for anything, but she was starting to think that there was some truth to it even if it wasn't what Gwen was thinking.

Gwen set the bowl of ice cream aside in worry. "Why? What happened?"

Fiji wanted her answer first before explaining. "What did he say, Gwen?!"

Gwen thought back to what was specifically said and repeated it, "He said he could tell just by looking at me that he could read death was tethered to certain branches of my family." Now that she'd told Fiji what was said, she needed answers too. "What happened?"

Fiji started to pace as she explained. "The plants died. Bobo almost got his hand chopped off by the greenhouse fan this morning, and just a few minutes ago in the Pawn Shop he almost got impaled by an antler chandelier!" She stopped pacing to stand in front of Gwen. "I don't think Declan was talking about your Fairy branches being tethered to death. I – I think he was talking about your Witchy ones. And if that's the case then that means death is tethered to me, too."

"Things have been happening to Manfred," Gwen said worriedly. "But I didn't think anything of it because, well, this is Midnight and he's a Psychic so when aren't ghosts trying to kill him?!" She started rubbing her hands in worry. "Nope, we've got this. We can figure this out. We are two badass Cavanaugh Witches and we will take down whatever the hell this is." Gwen held out her hand for Fiji to shake. "Deal?"

Fiji had the faith and determination even though she wasn't sure where to start. Even so, she clasped her hand with Gwen's and said with conviction, "Deal."

* * *

After leaving Fiji's place Gwen went to Manfred's to work on some research. She was sitting on the couch with an old spell book in hand when he came in looking exhausted. "Please tell me you didn't almost die again."

Manfred chuckled with a groan as he sat down beside her. "Gretel was there so nothing too bad happened." He took a peek at what she was looking at. "What's all this for?"

"I'm trying to find a way to keep you from dying." There was no point in beating around the bush.

"What?" Manfred chuckled because he didn't think she was being serious but with one look on her face he could tell that she was. "Okay, uhm, why?"

"Bobo has almost died from random means a few times now and with the whole Ghost thing with you…It feels like death is targeting the loved ones of the Cavanaugh ladies and I'd rather not have anything happen to you because of it." Gwen set the book aside. "I'm not sure if the use of Dark Magic biting us in the ass or if it's something else, but _something_ is happening."

Manfred reached out and touched Gwen's face before kissing her. "I've survived because of you, Gwen. I'm not going to die because of you. Come on, let's go to bed." He could sense her reluctance and smiled, "You can obsess about it in the morning."

Gwen could accept that. "Okay." She held onto his hand and got up with him to go to bed.

Meanwhile, Gretel was sitting out on the porch steps when Marcus came over. "No more Reaper duties?"

"Not at the moment." He sat on the steps beside her. "I officially met Declan."

This was the first Gretel had heard of that. "Oh, yeah? Did you escort him to the afterlife afterwards?"

"No, but if he brings harm to you I just might." Marcus looked at Gretel as he explained. "He said there's something going on that he needs a Mancer's assistance for. Is there more going on than the Ghosts at the Hotel?"

Gretel didn't more than a moment to think about it because she knew the answer. "No, but he's an Oracle so he's likely seen something else coming. I'll have to ask him about it."

"I'd like to be there when you do." Marcus didn't intend on budging upon that.

"I'm a big girl, Marcus. I don't need you to hold my hand when I go talk to him. I'll tell you what I find out but you don't have to be there." Gretel didn't like the idea of Marcus watching over her shoulder.

"I just don't want anything to happen to you." He'd never be able to forgive himself if something did and he didn't do anything to stop it.

"Nothing will." Gretel kissed his lips lightly. "I'm tired. I think I'm just going to sleep here tonight. The random voices were exceptionally loud today." She stood up from the steps to ask, "What to come in?"

Marcus wanted to but he also wanted to give Gretel her space. He had already seen the strain the psychic link between Lemuel and Olivia was putting on their relationship and he didn't want the same overprotectiveness to cause the same between himself and Gretel. "Raincheck. Sleep well."

Gretel found herself a little relieved that he didn't want to stay the night, but that didn't mean she didn't love him and made sure he knew that. "I love you."

Marcus stood up to give Gretel a kiss goodnight. "And I love you." He waited until she went inside and was about to head back to his place but instead felt where he was needed to collect souls and disappeared in a waft of black smoke and feathers to deal with that instead.

* * *

Manfred and Gretel left early the next morning to meet up with Prudence and Kai at the Hotel to come up with a game plan where the Ghosts were concerned. This gave Gwen ample time to go over to Fiji's place and go through their Witchy book repertoire.

After a lot of brainstorming and note taking, but not really finding any answers, Gretel and Manfred came into Fiji's place with Prudence in tow. "Hey, babe," Gwen greeted from her seat on the couch. "What's up?"

Manfred gave Gwen a peck on the cheek before answering. "We're hoping you and Fiji could help us with something. We need a spell to banish a couple Ghosts from the Hotel."

Prudence added in there, " _Without_ making it inhospitable to the dead."

Gretel raised her hands and wiggled them, saying, "It'd mess with Kai's mojo if the whole place isn't Ghost friendly."

Gwen put her notepad into the book so she wouldn't lose her place when she closed it and set it aside. "Can't Marcus grab hold of their Ghosts and force them into the afterlife?"

"I already asked him that," Gretel replied as she leaned back against the couch. "Apparently he can only escort those to the afterlife who don't have unfinished business here. If he tries it'd break the rules of the dead or something."

"It'd make all this easier if he could." Manfred just felt like pointing that bit out.

"True, but I do know of a spell." Fiji got up from her seat at the table and went to the bookshelf. It wasn't long before she removed the particular volume and flipped through its pages. "Here it is. This spell should banish them from this life and force them into the next. We'll need a goat's heart, some sage, and the bones of the dead."

"Sounds easy enough." Gwen moved over to Fiji so she, too, could look at the book. "Where are they buried?"

Patience had some bad news in that department. "There's no record of Carolyn's funeral, and no one even knew that Bruce had killed himself until his Ghost showed up."

"Which makes them unidentified or never found." Gretel rubbed her hands together. "Time for some Mancer Magic?"

Manfred didn't like the sound of that. "And what exactly do you intend to do?"

"I can feel every dead body in this town, Manfred. Now I just need to narrow the search parameters." Gretel dropped her head and groaned, "I'm gonna have to ask Declan for help."

"Uh, why?" Manfred didn't get why he'd have to be involved in this.

"Because for a guy who's not a Mancer he knows more about them than most. And since Marcus is off again collecting souls I can't exactly as him for help to tune out the dead I don't want to locate." Gretel was about to list off another reason until Manfred came up with another idea.

"Or we could just let Bruce and Carolyn possess us so we can get our answers without having to drag your ex into this and risk you creating an Army of Darkness."

Gretel so wanted to argue with her brother but found she couldn't. "Fair enough. Let's do it."

Since this seemed to be their plan of attack, Gwen said to Manfred, "Be careful."

Manfred knew what Gwen was worried about but he wasn't concerned because he didn't read into the worry she had. "Always am."

Fiji interjected there to say, "We'll get things set on our end. When you're ready just give us a call."

Gretel saluted them. "Will do." On that note, she left with Manfred and Patience to head back to the Hotel and put their possession plan into action.

* * *

Marcus was on his way back to Midnight not just because he wanted to but because he had to. There was quite a collection of souls at a strip club outside Midnight he needed to take care of.

Marcus was just finishing up with the last soul when Lemuel and Olivia came into the place. When he heard them enter, he removed the hood of his cloak to make him seen to their eyes, and turned around to face them. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for a bitchy Vampire," Olivia replied before going over to a woman who was still alive.

Marcus turned to Lemuel for further explanation. "What have I missed?"

"It's a long story. We'll fill you in once you're done with your collecting. You can't leave them lingering for too long, remember."

Marcus knew Lemuel had a point – bad things would happen if a soul wasn't properly escorted in a timely manner. "I intend to hear everything when I return." He pulled his hood back on to make himself unseen to all but the souls he needed to collect and soon disappeared with the last of them, not knowing it would just be a matter of time before he needed to return for more collecting.

* * *

Apparently Manfred and Gretel's plan was successful because not only did they get the information they needed but they also found the bones of Bruce and Carolyn. Presently Gwen and Fiji were getting the spell ready in the fireplace of the bedroom that once belonged to the couple.

"You cleared the Hotel, right?" The last thing Fiji wanted was an innocent bystander getting caught in the crossfire if things didn't go well.

"Yes," Kai instantly answered then corrected himself. "Well some staff did stay behind to lock up."

Patience elaborated a bit more. "But Declan took all the guests on a meditation retreat so they're all safe."

"Good." Manfred finished pouring the salt line. "We should all be safe on this side –" he looked to Patience and Kai, "-but if anything gets through, get the hell out."

"Let's do this." Gwen picked up the skulls and put them into the fireplace.

Right at that moment, Bruce's Ghost appeared in the room. "We've got company."

Bruce leaned his head to the side as he demanded to know, "What are you doing?"

Manfred stayed firm in his place in front of the group. "Serving your eviction notice." When Bruce looked back to the window, Manfred informed him of something. "We nailed it shut, don't even think about it." He and Gretel learned from the last time they encountered Bruce when he opened the window and blew away the salt.

Bruce was not happy about this. He growled at them as he paced back and forth on his side of the line.

Gretel wanted this to get done as soon as possible. "Hey, Cavanaughs, how long is this going to take?"

"Longer if you keep pestering us," Fiji replied, not liking being rushed when it came to Magic.

Before anyone else could say a word, the electricity flickered before the lights went out completely. Gwen answered the question that was likely on everyone's mind before they even had a chance to ask it. "That wasn't us."

Patience convinced Kai to check the breaker box for a fuse, she also asked Gretel to go with him in case the Ghost decided to go after Kai.

Gretel didn't want to leave but when Manfred told her they had it covered, she went with him with a grumbled, "Let's hurry up and get this over with." Before walking out she pointed to Manfred. "I want a full report, mister!"

As she went with Kai downstairs, he said to her,

"You didn't have to come with me. I can handle myself."

"I don't doubt that but I was kinda outnumbered in this decision." Gretel accepted the flashlight Kai gave to her once they reached the front desk and headed down into the basement with him. When they reached the breaker box they saw it wasn't a blown fuse; The wires had been ripped in half.

Gretel had a bad feeling about this. "We need to get out of here now." Too late.

"All I wanted was a chance," the Vampire Dawnette – the same Vampire Lem and Olivia were looking for – said to Kai as she walked out of the shadows. "You couldn't even give me that. I know what you thought, you thought what they all do; 'Not good enough', 'bimbo', 'slut'. You're just like all the others. With them I had to take it, but with you –" Dawnette hissed at Kai "-you're the one who's gonna beg."

Gretel made sure to stand between Kai and Dawnette as she said, "Look, lady, it sounds like you've had it rough but trust me when I say you don't want to do this."

"Oh, but I do. So you can either get the hell out of my way or I'll kill you too."

"Yeah…that's not gonna happen." Gretel raised her hands towards Dawnette and focused. The whites of Gretel's eyes turned pitch black as her already blue eyes seemed to glow. She chuckled a bit when Dawnette tried to move but couldn't. "You're dead, sweetie, and I'm a Mancer. What can Mancers do? – control the dead. Now I don't want to play puppet master with you so I'm going to give you a choice. Either you turn your ass around and get the hell out of here or die. Your choice."

Dawnette hissed and snarled at Gretel because as much as she tried to step forward, she couldn't. "You're not better than them!"

"He doesn't deserve to die!" Gretel shouted back at her.

"Yes he does!" Dawnette cried. "They all do!"

Gretel didn't know how much longer she could keep Dawnette at bay since this wasn't something she'd actually practiced or anything. "You've been put through the wringer in life and that's not fair, but that doesn't mean you should become worse than those who have wronged you. You kill Kai and anyone else and sure it might feel great in the moment but over time it will chip away at you until there's nothing left." Gretel was losing her strength and started to feel weak.

Thankfully Lemuel showed up when he did because Gretel was losing her strength and fell back into Kai because of it.

While Lem was talking to Dawnette, Manfred ran towards them with Olivia and Patience with him. Seeing Gretel in her condition, Manfred went straight for her. "What happened?"

"I rolled the dice," Gretel joked, meaning she took a risk and won. "Seems like Mancers can control Vampires, too."

Gretel leaned against Manfred for support when Kai went over to Dawnette and said he could help her. Helping her was an understatement because he downright cured her of being a Vampire. Gretel wasn't sure she saw that right and looked to Manfred for confirmation. "Was I seeing things or did Kai just Bo Dennis away her Vampirism?"

Manfred nodded because he was surprised as hell to know this. His surprise stuck to his tone as he said to Kai, "You can make Supernaturals Human again."

Gretel laughed weakly at that before saying without really thinking about what was being said, "Where can I sign up?"

* * *

End Season 2 Episode 2


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